“If you are looking for a psychological thriller laced with drama, suspense, plot twists, mystery, and an unravelling tale of tragic romance and sabotage, Dance in a Madhouse by Jess Wright is a perfect pick.”
– Reader’s Favorite
“When a brilliant young doctor is confined to an early-twentieth-century asylum, psychiatric treatments become tools of control rather than healing. With vivid period detail and psychological precision, Jess Wright reveals the brutality hidden beneath the era’s genteel facade and exposes the fragile line between illness and injustice. The result is a gripping, yet deeply humane, novel that gives voice to those silenced and reminds us how easily reason can be labeled madness.”
– Jacqueline Friedland
USA Today bestselling author of Counting Backwards
“An engagingly dramatic, character-filled yarn set in a facility from a bygone era.”
– Kirkus Reviews
“Dance in a Madhouse is a strikingly original, fast-paced novel featuring vivid, authentic characters and an eye-opening depiction of early-twentieth-century psychiatry. It’s a page-turner with insights that are relevant and important today.”
–Dan Schorr
Author of Open Bar and Final Table
“Did Dr. Owen Townsend have a psychotic break, or is someone trying to frame him? The author takes readers on a wild ride through a mental asylum filled with a host of fascinating characters and mysterious events. A thoroughly engaging read.”
– Jody Hadlock
Author of The Lives of Diamond Bessie
“. . . Wright deftly explores how the human mind—even today—remains an enigma. This gripping psychological thriller is a realistic portrayal of the inhumane and unscientific methods used in the early treatment of mental illness.
– BookLife Reviews
“I finished this remarkable historical novel in a single sitting—something I rarely do. The patients at the hospital, despite their own mental health struggles, are revealed as both sympathetic and perceptive as they try to solve a mystery involving arson and murder. The story is full of intrigue, moral complexity, and unexpected tenderness. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction with intelligence, suspense, and unforgettable characters.”
– Judith Beck, Ph.D.
President Beck Institute for Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Clinical Professor,
University of Pennsylvania
“A young doctor witnesses organizational fractures at a sanatorium, whose residents handle their pain in private, in the ominous novel, Dance in a Madhouse.”
– Foreword Clarion Reviews
“A riveting story with richly developed characters and jam-packed suspense. The main character attempts to solve the mystery of his own harrowing predicament, drawing readers into the world of early-twentieth-century mental health treatments and psychiatric asylums. Chilling and enlightening, the story explores human vulnerability, cruelty, and kindness.”
– Eileen Brill
Author of A Letter in the Wall
“This spine-tingling historical mystery is a page-turner with extraordinary depth. By transforming weakness into strength, solving puzzles that seem insolvable, and never giving up hope, the book speaks directly to anyone confronted with illness and the untoward effects of treatment.”
– Giovanni A. Fava, M.D.
Professor
Alma Mater Studiorum, University of Bologna, Italy.
“Jess Wright takes us back to the beginnings of psychiatry in this compelling historical murder mystery. The story rings psychologically true as it explores madness and sanity in a primitive medical era. In this thriller of the mind, a doctor-patient is forced to navigate a danger-filled asylum and unravel a deadly enigma.”
– John Markowitz, M.D.
Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
