Billingham plays the unreliable narrator card brilliantly here, as we never really know the truth about what’s going on, leading to an electrifying conclusion.

RABBIT HOLE takes place almost entirely inside a psychiatric hospital, which is remarkable in and of itself.If it hadn't been for that, there wouldn't have been any PTSD or any need for the variety of things I poured and snorted and popped into my body to numb that pain. I love her assessments of those on the ward with her, they are suffering from a variety of conditions and her acuteness of observation and commentary is good. Though convinced that she doesn't really belong there, she finds companionship with the other patients in the ward despite their challenging and often intimidating issues. But when her prime suspect becomes the second victim, Alice’s life begins to unravel still further as she realises that she cannot trust anyone, least of all herself. Although there is always a lot happening on the ward, things are about to become even more intense, when one of the patients is found dead.

Aside from two successful books made into classic movies --- ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO’S NEST and SILENCE OF THE LAMBS --- psychiatric hospitals don’t play much of a role in the popular mindset. It’s awful, incredibly boring and spins itself into the false hope that we’ll actually learn a motive. Overall, the book is an effective hybrid --- an absorbing character study doubling as a travelogue through a place that many of us find intimidating. It's fresh and edgy but also addresses pressing social issues and is populated with characters ripe with idiosyncrasies and once again Billingham pushes the boundaries of crime writing shining a light into some of the darker corners of society. The first time I walked into a locked psychiatric ward --- I am an attorney and was there to investigate a complaint --- I was wandering through the dayroom, trying to look inconspicuous.

Instead, Alice begins her own investigation and goes about her duties with the prowess, proficiency, and know-how one would expect from a competent police office who has solved so many crimes during her distinguished career. She has been sectioned following a major breakdown caused by the traumatic death of a colleague that she feels responsible for. Resting his award-winning Tom Thorne series, Billingham delivers a confoundingly compelling psychological thriller that, unlike many in the genre, doesn’t slight the psychology.