Book Review | The Medea Complex by Rachel Florence Roberts

A Mother's Crime

   

The book began with Anne Stanbury waking up inside a lunatic asylum. Accused of murdering her own infant son, she was judged unfit to stand trial due to insanity. Dr. George Savage, chief medical officer of Bethlem Royal Hospital, diagnosed Anne to be suffering from Puerperal Mania, a rare psychotic illness suffered by women after giving birth. But there is something much darker than murder and psychosis lurking beyond, inconceivable deceit.

Postpartum Psychosis a topic rarely tackled, and I have to commend Ms. Roberts for her effort and research for her book. The premise is undeniably interesting. The plotting of the story is good; it flows really well, given that the narrative came from multiple points of view.

The story was made interesting further by a well-thought twist, that may have delivered a much bigger punch if given a notable narrative. Regrettably, language and grammar are this book’s failure. Some were quite disagreeable with the setting and period, it almost put me off. But putting that certain quibble aside, I was intrigued by the mystery and the historical background for the story, and I kept turning those pages.

In a nutshell, this is a good debut; possibly, good editing can make better. I will be keeping an eye on Ms. Roberts’s next book for sure.

Book details:

Title: The Medea Complex

Author: Rachel Florence Roberts

Publication: November 13, 2013

Genre: Psychological Thriller / Historical Fiction

Rating: ★★★

*Thank you, Ms. Roberts, for giving me chance to read a copy in exchange for an honest review.