Alice has gone mental, literally. Currently on lockdown after a smashing night with her boyfriend, she shares the ward with a handful of other patients. Suffering from a bad case of PTSD after the death of a friend, 'crazy' Al is determined to relive her days as a police officer and solve her next big case, complete with a side of in-house homicide. Will they take her word or slip her a few more pills? Who can Al trust if she can't even trust herself?

Reading "Rabbit Hole" by Mark Billingham truly felt like getting lost down a rabbit hole, but not in the best way.

Alice is a former police officer, who after witnessing the death of her partner, is involuntarily checked into a psychiatric ward for PTSD. While under observation, two murders occur on the ward, and Alice sets out to solve the case and find the murder. As the investigation wears against her mental stability, Alice must come to terms with her PTSD and her place in this world now that she is no longer a police officer.

I was really intrigued by this premise, but was not pleased with the execution. For a book that isn't actually very long, it feels long. It's overly wordy and descriptive about Alice's feelings and emotional state. But was lacking in actually building the world and characters of the psychiatric ward, and the murder mystery itself. I wish Billingham had spent more time having Alice actually investigate the murder and find evidence, instead of her just sitting around and observing her surroundings and the people in it. I felt that there were too many characters that weren't given enough attention and were undeveloped, that whenever they would interact with Alice I had a hard time remembering who was who (also the fact that Alice has given them all nicknames and bounces back and forth between that and their given names, was also hard to keep track of who they were).

I also found difficulty in discerning the tone of this book, I felt it was a bit all over the place. Now, considering it was about getting lost down a rabbit hole and took place in psychiatric ward with a woman who is experiencing some mental problems, that could've been done on purpose. But, I felt that it just didn't live up to the sophistication of the books premise and truly struggled to get through the entire read.

Now with that said, I do think Bellingham is a good writer. There are several passages and quotes that often came off as poetic and thought provoking. And the structure of the book does flow well. I just don't think I personally was able to connect with the characters or situations laid forth.

I want to thank Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy.

A curious detective story, which keeps you engaged. Strong characterisations and the environment contributes to the eerie sense of unreality.

Convincing and unsettling.

Well that was a bit nutty. Really interesting ride on the crazy train. Loved Alice and her thought process was all over the place but staying in a mental hospital will do that to you I’m sure. The banter was top notch and overall a great read. Didn’t figure out who done it until the very end.

Thanks NetGalley for this arc

While I appreciated the direction of this plot, it felt very underwhelming, and it was a little too slow to get into. I did like the different characters and the simplicity of one setting, however it fell short for me.

I really want to brag up this book...but if I say too much, I would spoil the ride for the next reader. And what a ride it is! As a psychologist (and former LEO), I often find myself rolling my eyes at so-called “psychological thrillers”. Rabbit Hole had me thinking about the plot when I wasn’t busy reading...trying to figure out “whodunnit”. I was wrong and you will be too. Not because the clues weren’t there or because there were too many superfluous red herrings...but because the author so deftly carries the reader along on the process of discovery. You won’t see it coming.

Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham- From the writer of the Tom Thorne thrillers comes a psychological mystery. Alice, AL to her friends, was a London Police Officer until she had a mental breakdown when her police partner is killed right in front of her. Now she lives on the Ward with the other people, trying to figure out what went wrong with her mind and soul. So she takes her meds and dreams of once more being a police. Then there is a murder in the Ward and Al finds herself coming up with all kinds of information and leads to help the police. She's in the thick of it. But no one notices, no one cares until the second body turns up. A first-person read from an unreliable narrator that leads you through the ups and downs of daily life in a psychiatric section where terrible things can happen. Just by reading a few passages, you can feel the tense, craziness in the air. Look out for the twisty ending. You'd be crazy not to give it a try.

I enjoyed this book. I would rate it 3.5 stars.

It follows a former police officer who has been admitted to a psychiatric ward - a murder occurs and they are back into cop-mode whilst trying to deal with their own issues.
It was a gripping insight into mental health and how it manifests itself and how it interferes with professional duties.
The conclusion of the book seemed a little sudden, for such an interesting premise I did feel considerably let down.
Overall, not a bad read - was gripping at points.

This is a departure from the strict Tom Thorne series. I'm not the biggest fan of the unreliable narrator but Billingham handles it well and I enjoyed it. The story moves fast, keeps you on your toes putting the pieces together (and then putting then together again). Nice development along the main character and several of the minor ones and the mystery hangs together the whole time.

I received an e-arc from the publisher and Netgalley in return for an honest review.

A different type of writing as compared to the author’s other books, with wry humour and a narrative interspersed with sarcasm. The description of the psychiatric ward and the patients and staff reminded me of One flew over the cuckoo’s nest. The conclusion felt sudden with nothing much in clues. The characters also felt flat without any backstory.

Alice is in an asylum suffering from PTSD after watching her partner in the PD killed. Now she is sure there is a murderer amongst her fellow inmates. No one takes her seriously. She is going to prove it, no matter what. Things are getting topsy turvy and time is running out.
A psychological thriller that leaves you questioning everything.
Great read.

Rabbit Hole by Mark Billingham. Fell down the rabbit hole with Alice and had difficulty navigating through the story. Interesting premise.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

First l want to thank NetGalley for my eARC in consideration for my honest review. I really enjoyed this. Mark Billingham writes about life on a psych ward as if your living it, and when murder occurs, can you trust how you see it if you are a patient? Or, can a crazy person be the only one to understand what is going on in a crazy place?

I really struugled to like our main character Alice, as with the Tom Thorne series, I do not think this author is for me. An interesting premise, but it fell flat as I disliked our main characters voice.

Thankyou to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic and the author, Mark Billingham, for the opportunity to read an advanced readers copy of Rabbit Hole in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
Such an intriguing storyline. I was hooked.
The plot was well thought out and written with very interesting characters.
Whether it's a book in the Tom Thorne series or a stand-alone novel, this author knows how to write.
Well worth a read.

As much as I adore Mark Billingham novels, especially the Tom Thorne series, I really struggled with this one. The idea is similar to The Thursday Murder Club, except instead of a retirement village this is set in a place for people with psychological issues.
Alice is a former police women whose partner died while they were on a call out. She has descended into drugs and dope and becomes violent. Now she is ensconced in the institution while she sorts herself out. When one of the inmates is murdered she sets about to solve the case, she soon has a suspect but when they are murdered too she becomes afraid for herself. However things are happening that she can’t recall and her memory is leaving blanks in her timeline, due in part to ptsd.
The book is full of interesting characters with often hilarious traits, but I really didn’t enjoy the book or Alice which is a huge disappointment for me.

#rabbithole #netgalley

Former police officer, Alice Armitage, finds herself in a psychiatric facility after a serious mental breakdown. Things start to get interesting when one of her fellow patients is murdered. Alice goes into cop-mode and tries to hunt down the killer.

This is my first book by Mark Billingham. It was a good book and I would like to read more from him.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.