I was intrigued by the premise of this book and couldn't wait to read it. Sadly I didn't connect with it and found it a very slow read.

I really wanted to like this book but it was a huge struggle for me. I found the plot very confusing and all over the place. The writing in general feels amateur-ish, I hate to say. The characters feel lackluster and I've never felt this disconnected in a third person novel before. Honestly I could not get into it and had to skim the last half or so just to be done with it.

This was a very slow read and really struggled with it. I did finish it and the concept of the story was there but I just couldn’t connect with the main protagonist. I would have liked it to be a bit more thrilling but it’s rather boring and foreseeable.

Thanks to Allison and Busby for the early ARC

This was a very slow read for me, it was a slow burner and a lot of information to take in. This is the second book written about Lorraine and it might have helped if you read the first book. Lorraine has a new job as a team leader in a high security asylum. She’s there to help the staff members after murders happening on the unit. It’s written in a timeline which I liked, the plot line was just too slow for me. A 3 star read. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

This unsettling book offers both a great mystery and an interesting commentary on society. The setting is 1983, which I found fascinating as I was a child at that time - it made me reflect on how far we have, and have not, come since then. The information on psychometric testing and the approach taken by the protagonist as she tries to implement it at the facility is really interesting and adds a lot of depth and credibility to the story. At times a dark and grim read, this book is definitely one which will make you think.

Psychological thriller set during the eighties in Yorkshire. Lorraine is sent to team build on an asylum containing convicted killers. An interesting premise but slow to get going.

Isolation Ward is a psychological thriller with a unique premise set against the backdrop of a 1980s NHS hospital—something that initially drew me in. The concept of using psychometric testing to uncover hidden truths about potential hires was intriguing and gave the story a fresh angle.

Martine Bailey clearly has a deep understanding of the era and setting, and I appreciated the detail she brought to the NHS environment, particularly the workplace politics and day-to-day pressures. The psychometric questions at the beginning of each chapter were a clever touch and added an extra layer of tension and insight into the characters.

However, I did find the pacing quite slow at times, and it took a while to feel fully invested in Lorraine’s journey. While I admired her independence and intelligence, I struggled to connect with her emotionally, which made some of the story’s more dramatic moments feel less impactful.

Overall, Isolation Ward offers a distinctive blend of psychological intrigue and social commentary. It might resonate more with readers who enjoy a slow-burn mystery rooted in character study and period-specific detail. A solid read, but not quite the gripping thriller I expected.

It’s 1983, Mrs Thatcher is in power and the old lunatic asylums are in the throes of being closed or privatised as special hospitals. Lorraine Quick is about to start work at the notorious Windwell Asylum for the Criminally Insane. She is apprehensive about being sent far from home as her 8 year old daughter, Jasmine, is about to sit her exams for the local grammar school and Lorraine’s band, Electra Complex, will have to go out on tour with a substitute singer.
Lorraine is a team building expert who has been seconded to assist the admin team at Windwell. The asylum is about to shed its skin and become an up to date, modern maximum security unit and fully privatised. The old Victorian buildings will be demolished.
She has hardly begun work when she and the Medical Director, Dr Voss, find the body of Kevin Crossley, the Admin Director in a seclusion cell. He’s been stabbed several times and there is graffiti referring to a murder in another seclusion cell of a patient, Junior Campbell, three years earlier.
Kevin had an appointment in his diary for that day and was expecting visitors at home with the best china set out in expectation. But he had been lured away to a deserted, dark building. Lorraine soon realises that the rest of the admin team have their own problems and may be covering something up. Enid is an alcoholic and not up to the job of treasurer while her daughter, Oona, also works at Windwell as a ward clerk. There are rumours of the ghost of an ex-patient haunting the tunnels beneath Windwell but there is also a living ghost in the building. This is the scary patient in the infirmary, Rob Kessler, who Dr Voss describes as ‘attractive and charismatic’ which should ring alarm bells earlier than it does. Rob is a maximum security patient. When another body is discovered in the tunnels after an attempt By Oona to call up the hospital ghost, Lorraine realises that it’s not Windwell’s dead that she has to be frightened of but the living…
The changes that happened as the old asylums were closed leaving their patients to ‘care in the community’ and the buildings to either be demolished or converted into ‘luxury apartments’ is an interesting backdrop to the events in the book. Privatising care to some of the most dangerous people in the UK means indifferent, nasty staff and the rise of patients who can run things better. I felt that the author made good use of this as, in the afterword, she discusses her real life experiences in the area which enhanced the novel’s veracity.
I did wonder about the terrifying patient, Rob Kessler, making his appearance so late in the book and managing to escape so easily twice. But he didn’t come alive for me as a character despite the build-up to his appearance. The subplot featuring Ella seemed to fizzle out.
I haven’t read the previous book featuring Lorraine Quick, ‘Scratch Sharp’ so had to work out the confusing dynamics between her and Diaz. But I’m sure that they are almost fated to be together.
The location was very atmospheric and claustrophobic. I could hear keys locking and unlocking doors while I was reading.
‘Isolation Ward’ was overall a pacey thriller although it was slow going in some places. I also felt that there were too many characters.

My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.

I only found this out after reading the book; it is the second in the Lorraine Quick series, but it seemed to work fine as a standalone. Set in 1983, Windwell Asylum in Yorkshire has been a state run place of confinement for Britain’s worst murderers for years but is now being rebuilt as a privately run top-security unit. Lorraine Quick is a specialist in Organisational Change and whilst she had been planning to go on tour with her band, her boss has sent her to the prison to sort out issues the current Director is having with his team.

Briefly, Lorraine reluctantly accepts, she has no choice, only to find on arrival that one of the staff, Administration Director Kevin Crossley, has been brutally murdered and dumped in an old isolation cell. Coincidently (who believes that) it is the same cell number that a prisoner was found murdered in some years earlier. Into the investigation steps DI Diaz with whom Lorraine has history. But can she put that to one side, whilst leading the staff in team building exercises.

The author has used a mix of personal experience and detailed research to produce what is a taut and exciting thriller with interesting characters, most of whom are not particularly likeable. It felt authentic, I can believe that some inmates are violent and drugs are a problem. I can believe that some staff are uncaring and corrupt. I can believe that conditions are terrible and rehabilitation is non existent. I volunteered in a similar, but non criminal, asylum in the mid 1970’s, so I can believe a lot! A twisted and complex case. I liked the original setting and it was an entertaining read.

What stuck with me most was the unsettling truth underneath the fiction: we haven't come as far as we like to believe. I've seen echoes of these realities in my own life, and it’s disheartening to admit that meaningful change still feels so far off—not because solutions are out of reach, but because too many people simply don’t care to find them. At its core, this book is a sharp, thought-provoking read—layered with mystery, tension, and a grim sense of relevance that’s hard to shake.

Murder at a mental health facility for dangerous criminals. Lorraine Quick was meant to be team building but instead finds herself embroiled in the investigation alongside DS Diaz. This has good atmospherics and a few twists but best of all are Lorraine and Diaz. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

this book was a just a really good book. it felt real. it felt far to relatable to issues relevant to today and it made me think. it was unsettling for alot of it but still felt gripping and important.
i couldnt quite get over how the issues from all that long ago are somehow in places even worse today. the issues are even more hidden now or we just dont care. behind closed doors some of the most dangerous and vulnerable are still being both let free or harmed. and its sometimes the most powerful people doing the harming. either directly doing so or in not caring enough to stop the damage they are still causing said harms or dangers.
ive seen the consequence of some of the occurrences in this book and am quite sad that its nowhere near where it should be in being fixed. and again, i think this still falls down to people not caring to do the fixing.
a good thought provoking book with the added mystery and murder to boot.

Book 2 of Lorraine Quick

Yorkshire, 1983. Margaret Thatcher is in Number 10, "Thriller" is on the radio, and Lorraine Quick is having to put plans to tour on hold due to work. With her expertise in psychometric testing, she is being sent to the Yorkshire moors to build a PR-friendly team out of the ragtag staff of the infamous Windwell asylum as it transitions into a modern, top-security unit housing some of the most dangerous criminals in the country. And then Lorraine stumbles in a brutal murder that has taken place despite the fifteen-foot-high perimeter wall and the heavy-duty locks.

Lorraine and Medical 'Director Jan Voss stumble on the brutal murder of Administration Director Kevin Crossley. This murder was similar to a murder that has taken place three years ago/

There were a few characters to try and remember, most of them had something to hide. There was a creepy feel surrounding this story, probably because it's set on the site pf an old asylum. The pace is on the slow side, but stick with it, it's worth finishing. This book can be read as a standalone.

Published 17th April 2025

I woluld like to thank #NetGalley #AlisonandBusby and the author #MartineBailey for my ARC of #IsolationWard in exchange for an honest review.

Lorraine is sent to a new high security asylum to team build while they are closing down the old asylum, then a local teenager is found dead in the old asylum similar to a death years ago.
I found the book slow going with lots of characters and many times you did not know which character was talking.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review.

"Not every danger can be contained"

Yorkshire, 1983. Margaret Thatcher is at Number 10, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' is on the radio and Salford based single mum Lorraine Quick, with her leave having been summarily cancelled, is having to put plans to tour with her band on hold due to work. With her expertise in psychometric testing, Lorraine is being sent by a government minister, to the desolate Yorkshire moors, where she is expected to build a PR-friendly team out of the ragtag staff at the infamous Windwell Asylum For The Criminally Insane, as it transitions into a modern, top-security unit, housing some of the most dangerous criminals in the country.

Lorraine is offered accommodation in the local village, but she barely has time to unpack and make arrangements to meet and greet the small, four person asylum management team, before she and Medical Director Jan Voss, stumble upon the brutal murder of one of the other directors, Administration Director Kevin Crossley, which has taken place on the premises, despite the fifteen-foot-high perimeter wall and heavy-duty locks. The asylum is in the throes of transitioning from being a state run institution, to becoming a fully privatised business; however the inherent problems of drugs, psychopathic violence and staff who are uncaring at best and complicit in various crimes including misappropriation of funds on a regular basis, have not changed despite the new surroundings.

It appears that circumstances of the current murder, mirror those surrounding the death three years previously of Junior Campbell, one of the institution's more vulnerable inmates and as this complicated mix of relationships and rivalries unfolds, the similarities become even more frighteningly obvious, putting lives, including that of Lorraine herself, in danger.

…

I always enjoy reading books where an author has played completely to their strengths when forming the plotline of a story/series. Martine Bailey's experience within NHS personnel departments and her expertise in processing and analysing psychometric testing, really shines through, to provide the basis of this dark, dour, depressing, oppressive and wonderfully twisted thriller, which was broken down into well marked and headlined chapters, which made reading it so easy on the eye, if not on the mind, which it messed with totally!

Although a brand new publication, the book immediately took me back to the 1980s, which is where I needed to focus my mindset. Police profiling of victims and suspects was in its infancy. Pub food was generally a mass manufactured meat pie of indeterminate age, kept warm in a heated cabinet on the bar. A boxed 'Vesta' curry was a special home date-night treat and a battery operated 'Sony Walkman' which played cassettes, qualified as a personal entertainment system. It also seemed surreal that so many members of a community worked in the same institution, even from within the same family, all a bit incestuous, although I guess that the concept of people commuting many miles from home to work was still for early stage adopters, with multiple car households very much in the minority.

Some things however, no matter the passage of time, still remain as relevant now as they did then. The problems of illegal drugs (and these days mobile phones too) being smuggled into prison; the barely concealed unscrupulous behaviour of some prison officers; senior management who have little or no control over what happens in the establishment on a daily basis and who often care even less; and certain privileged inmates who are free to victimise and terrorise the masses.

I am hoping that my reaction to the many characters who occupied such a small physical space, was exactly as the author intended, as even though individually they were well defined and described, I found it almost impossible to relate to, connect with, or even begin to like, any of them, with the possible exception of Ella, who had definitely been dealt a difficult hand in life. Everyone was a victim of circumstance and fate, including Quick and Diaz themselves, who I believe solved the case more by good luck than sound judgement, as each was busy trying to juggle their rather messy and dysfunctional personal lives, alongside their respective professional duties.

A unique and interesting setting for a storyline and locations which, whilst based on real places, mixed half true names with some fictional. However the bleak and isolated nature of the area as described, is all too real, depending on the prevailing weather conditions, so on this occasion I was more than happy with my 'armchair traveller' status, reading from the comfort of my armchair in my cosy heated room.

This is book #2 in the 'Lorraine Quick' series and whilst the most pertinent points of the backstory were seamlessly woven into the fabric of the storyline, in hindsight, I believe I might have benefitted from starting with the first book, just to have got more insight into the previous history between Quick and Diaz, which seemed a bit haphazard to say the least. At one particular point, I began to think that they were both more interested in each others problems, rather than being in any rush to solve the case. I'm still not sure that the end of this book brought their future relationship to any final conclusions and I wouldn't be surprised to see them back together again soon!

Lorraine Quick is a expert in psychometric testing and is sent to the Yorkshire moors to set a team up for the new Windwell Asylum for dangerous criminals. When a murder happens within the walls Lorraine with DS Diaz has to try and identify the killer.
This is a dark and gritty thriller that keeps you wanting to read more.
Would highly recommend.

I really like the idea of this book and was looking forward to reading it. However, I really struggled with it. I found the storyline really slow and hard to get into. The "old asylum" theme was interesting and hoped it would set the scene about how these places were and how they worked in the era that the book was set - which it did quite well. However, there were lots of different characters and I found it hard to keep track of who was who. For me, the storyline was a little too slow and I lost interest in it fairly early in the book..

This was a rattling good thriller. Set in an asylum in Northern England in the 1989’s, the book pictures the era authentically. The main characters make their second appearance after a previous novel, Sharp Scratch, but this is a stand alone novel. The lead character, Lorraine is great, smart and brave but also vulnerable rather than being more like a superhero. The book focuses on a retributory killing and has a well worked plot to work out the killer in the end making this an enjoyable, informative read.

I found this to be an interesting dark mystery thriller, set in the 1980s in Yorkshire.
It is the second in the Lorraine Quick series, although it can be read as a stand-alone. I haven't read the first one.
Lorraine is staying in the village housing Windwell asylum so she can help with the transition to the modern top security unit that is currently being built. With her knowledge of psychometric testing, she is there to help build a PR-friendly team for the new unit that will house some of the country's most dangerous criminals. A few days after she arrives, she discovers the murder of Kevin, the asylum’s administrative assistant. How did he end up murdered inside one of the isolation cells?
Whilst there were quite a few characters to get to know I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the murder. I found the characters intriguing and was trying to work out their true intentions as I read. Most of the characters had something to hide. The setting was atmospheric and creepy, particularly the crumbling old asylum amidst it's reputation for violence.
The tension really ramps up for the last part of the story and I couldn't put it down.
Overall, I found this an original myster thriller!

Thank you NetGalley and Allison & Busby for the eARC.
This was a disappointing read, it sounded promising, but for whatever reason, I just couldn't get into it.
I didn't particularly like Lorraine much and found the book slow-going and a bit boring despite the subject of
a psychiatric facility and its dangerous inhabitants.