Review: The Mask of Sanity

Author: Jacob M. Appel
Started reading: December 29th 2019
Finished the book: January 1st 2020
Pages: 256
Genres: Fiction, Thriller
Published: March 31st 2017
Source: Physical copy from the author
Goodreads score: 4.00
My score:

Synopsis

On the outside, Dr. Jeremy Balint is a pillar of the community--the youngest division chief at his hospital, a model son to his elderly parents, fiercely devoted to his wife and two young daughters. On the inside, Dr. Jeremy Balint is a high-functioning sociopath, a man who truly believes himself to stand above the ethical norms of society. As long as life treats him well, Balint has no cause to harm others. When life treats him poorly, he reveals the depths of his cold-blooded depravity.

In contrast to fictional predecessors like Dostoyevesky's Raskolnikov and Camus's Mersault, Dr. Balint is a man who already has it all--and will do everything in his power, no matter how immoral, to keep what he has.

My thoughts

In the crime/thriller genre, we usually have a POV from the police or victim. It's usually the side of the good guys. This book gives you the perspective of the bad guy. That was so refreshing to read. I remember reading a book like that this summer, and I enjoyed that a lot. I think it's a lot harder too, to write from the POV of the bad guy.

Pros

• Deaths: I've never been SO happy with deaths in a book. The writer is really good at keeping you on edge and at some point you start to WISH for a death, lol. I was like: Whats wrong with me? I was feeling quite uneasy and was waiting for something to go wrong, all the time.
• Characters: The characters in this book are AWFUL! In a good way... It totally fits the story and I think it helps with the killing? It's always easier to lose a character if you're not that fond of it, right?
• Ending: OMG. I can't with this ending?! It's SO good. I really needed more after that, it makes me so curious and I love an author that can keep you on edge and just finish the book there. It's something that's not done very often and I keep smirking when I think of it. I loved the ending and it totally fitted the book.
• Insight: It was so interesting to read from the POV of the bad guy. You get some insight in his thinking and it felt very real to me. I think that this was the best point in the book for me; taking this ride with a very bad man...

Cons

• Drama: I would've loved a bit more drama and a bit more tension. Even though I was on edge all the time, I did feel like I didn't have to feel on edge. I would've loved for some major plot twist (like the ending) to be in the book as well.

Overall

Definitely worth the read if you're into Thrillers and a bit of Crime. It's refreshing to read a book from a totally different POV. I also felt like the book wasn't romanticized, like it was very real. Could use a book like this every now and then! It's fun to root for evil instead of good guys!

Thanks for reading!

I'd love to talk books; please let me know what you think about this book/review.