The police found Janice Jensen bathed in blood, sitting on the floor in the lotus position, calmly munching grapes. Her husband, a cop, lay dead on the couch with four bullet holes in his head. Her infant son lay dead in his crib. Janice seemed unaware of the carnage around her. There was no question she had killed them, but was she criminally responsible - or certifiably insane? That is question forensic psychologist Simon Rose must answer. He must determine whether the real Janice is a pitiful and psychotic aging cheerleader or a shrewd and conniving evil actress. But Simon's experience and considerable expertise haven't prepared him for the likes of Janice Jensen. She shuns analysis, confounds his clinical judgment - and provokes intense and conflicting emotions. Kate Newhouse, Janice's defense attorney and Simon's best friend, suspects the problem is that Simon is attracted to Janice. Kate pleads insanity on behalf of her client, but Simon remains unconvinced. Determined to uncover the truth, he finds that he must first revisit his past and come face to face with his own demons.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
New York forensic psychiatrist Simon Rose, 45, who narrates this debut thriller in the first person, has lost his wife to suicide. Simon now lives with his devoted dog, Tupelo, who acts as his shrink through imaginary conversations, and his adopted daughter, Debby, who suffers from violent nightmares. His longtime friend and colleague, Kate Newhouse, a savvy criminal lawyer in a wheelchair, is constantly hounding him out of his self-protective shell, setting up blind dates and urging him to work for her, which he avoids. But the new case she offers him is different: Janice Jensen, a woman accused of killing her husband and infant, was Simon's high school flame, and she has specifically asked for Simon to help represent her in the insanity defense Kate is preparing. Recognizing too late his conflict of interest, Simon withdraws, yet Janice is not so easy to elude. She manipulates the system by claiming to hear her dead mother's commands, and thereby escapes proper retribution. Obsessed with Simon, she plagues him with demands and threatens those he loves?including his dog. Simon's view of her antisocial personality disorder has a Freudian glibness, but he's clearly aware that she might be just plain evil. The narrative drags toward the end, as Simon gets caught up in psychological explanations for Janice's bizarre behavior, but the setup is vigorous, the writing is witty and crisp and the tone a careful balance of humor and gravity. Bahr's characters, especially the intrepid Kate, are worthy of a series. Sadly, however, former Michigan forensic psychologist Bahr died while completing this book (his widow is editing a second novel). Agent, Sagalyn Literary Agency. Mystery Guild featured alternate.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Kirkus Reviews
Bahr's posthumous first novel trains a microscope on a killer's insanity defense and its chilling, though predictable, aftermath. As the New York police go about their work on the murder scene, examining the corpses of their colleague Dennis Jensen and his infant son Sean, Janice Jensen, Dennis's widow and killer, sits among them in a pool of blood, placidly eating grapes. She's clearly insane, maintains her attorney, wheelchair-bound Kate Newhouse, who brings in two forensic specialists to examine her. One is Dr. Brice Darling, a hired gun who'll testify unshakably to anything under the sun if the price is right; the other is Dr. Simon Rose, whom Janice herself had requested because back in college he was her friend and briefly her lover, and because she's convinced he's still in love with her now. In truth, Simon, who's devoted himself since widowhood to his adopted daughter Debby, hasn't thought much about Janice for years. But now that they're back together again, even if it's only under the darkest professional shadow, he can't get her out of his mind and soon finds himself falling again under her half-seductive, half-coercive spell. Citing a personal conflict that would prejudice his standing in the court, he withdraws from Janice's case and looks on from the gallery as her hearing comes to a horrifying climax. And worse is still to come, for Janice isn't done with Simon yet. More certain than ever that she's the love of his life, she's determined to attack anyone she sees as an obstacle to her desire, and Simon waits helplessly to see who her next target will be: his daughter? his brother? his father? his dog? Though the hell-hath-no-fury plot couldn't be more familiar (especially to fans of Richard Gere movies), Bahr's portrait of his homicidal heroine and her victims is so nuanced that the familiar plot twists seem, if not exactly fresh, then genuinely creepy. (Mystery Guild featured alternate) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book I've read in the last couple of years,
By dana huston (Midwest, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Certifiably Insane: A Novel (Hardcover)
Certifiably Insane is a fantastic book. Readers who enjoy the novels of Johnathon Kellerman and Stephen White will enjoy this new main character, forensic psychologist Simon Rose. I knew I loved this writer in the first chapter when I found out Simon's dog was named Tupelo Honey and his prior dog had been named Sara Smiles. The book contains fantastic character development and a great sense of humor about the funny and not so funny parts of life. I think it is a great loss for avid readers that this author passed away during the editing of this novel but I was thrilled to read his wife's note (see above) that she will be continuing with the Simon Rose character in a series. I look forward to the next installment.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Is it insanity or is it the work of a psychopath????,
By A Customer
This review is from: Certifiably Insane: A Novel (Hardcover)
Yes, it's true...Janice Jensen is having a bad day. But is this bad day the result of insanity, or is it a way of getting attention? It is up to Simon Rose to find the answer, but before he can do so he must deal with the demons in his own past. Arthur Bahr, perhaps my greatest friend, has given the world a gem of a novel, one that asks a fundamental question about both psychology and the criminal system...how does it help those who are truely insane...and how easily is it abused by those who know how to manipulate the system? This novel is filled with compelling characters who we were meant to learn more about in future novels. Arthur's death in 1995 has taken from us not only a remarkable indivdual, but a window into a wonderful world of his imagination. I miss him terribly, but am grateful to have Simon Rose, and his friends and family, Kate, Debby, and Tommy, to keep me company and continue to entertain me in this extraordinary novel.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Arthur Bahr left us too soon....,
By
This review is from: Certifiably Insane: A Novel (Hardcover)
because the brilliance of his first piece, "Certifiably Insane", felt as though there was much promise for the future. Bahr passed away before the book was published, and his widow finished the book from his notes. As a result, the ending is a little rough, but Bahr puts together a thriller, a love story, and a tome on today's definition of what constitutes "a family". In his hero, Simon Rose, Bahr has created the kind of quiet force of life that you wish would step off the pages into your own life. Simon's career in forensic psychology causes him to meet Janice Jensen - one of those villainesses that is really too evil to be as beautiful as she is. A group of interesting and caring relatives and friends frames Simon's private life, and Bahr puts together the whole book with style and an admirable way of turning a phrase! Fantastic book, nominated for an Edgar, definitely a must-have for your collection!
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