Certifiably Insane

by Arthur W. Bahr

Book Overview

Forensic psychologist Simon Rose is called in to determine the sanity of Janice Jensen after she is found near the bloody bodies of her husband and son, calmly eating grapes.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0684802325
• ISBN13: 9780684802329
• Release Date: March 1999
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.4" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Arthur Bahr left us too soon....

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!

Best book I've read in the last couple of years

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.

Janice is EVIL!!

Great read throughout! Jancice's actions caught my attention from the beginning. I think she is evil, and not Certifiably Insane at all!!

Is it insanity or is it the work of a psychopath????

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.

Brilliantly written - fast paced thriller

As a real life forensic psychologist Authur Bahr brings an insight and perspective that makes the story incomparable. The question was not whether the judge would find Janice "nuts" for the heinous, cold blooded murder of her husband and infant son. He would. But was she certifiably insane or just plain evil? It is through Simon, the reclusive, widowed psychiatrist that the story is told. The author weaves the tale through the recall of events past and puts them into the relevant high school nerd at a time when the "jocks" were the masters of the universe; his desire for Janice, the beauty queen; his friendship and brief love affair with her; his knowledge of her family; his hippie period and anti-war stance; his hated job as a state employed shrink; and his coming of age with the suicide of his wife and his relationship to his teenage step-daughter.Masterfully told, this novel is fast paced, complex and edgy. It is a wonderfully woven tale that in the right hands looks like a movie to me.Edward L. Gluec