Shadows in the Asylum: The Case Files of Dr. Charles Marsh Horror Book Review

The Blair Witch Project exposed the fear in the woods of Maryland. Shadows in the Asylum, by New York Times bestselling author D. A. Stern, reveals the terror hidden in the lakes and islands of the upper Midwest.  The documents gathered within this volume—patient records, historical documents, journal entries, and Dr. Marsh’s own fevered scribblings—tell a tale of madness, obsession, and murder that blurs the line between truth and fiction.   

As Dr. Charles Marsh settles into his new position as a psychologist at the Kriegmoor Psychiatric Institute in Bayfield, Wisconsin, he seeks to distance himself from the shameful and unspoken events that led to his termination at a Texas hospital.  He finds himself drawn to a particular patient, Kari Hansen, who experienced a mental breakdown while on an archaeological dig in northern Wisconsin and now claims to see shadowy creatures within the walls of the asylum itself.  As Marsh seeks a scientific explanation for these remarkably vivid hallucinations, he begins to experience them himself. Is he descending into madness or experiencing a vision of a world that exists parallel to our own, a realm populated by creatures of both angelic and demonic intent? 

Shadows in the Asylum’s format adds texture and interactivity to the storytelling as readers must piece together the clues they discover in the photocopied medical charts, diary pages, emails, and newspaper articles that make up the book. It also gives readers the distinct impression they’re raiding the files and confidential notes of Dr. Marsh.