Madhouse
Summary:
Private detective David Bennett is hired for a simple job: investigate a young woman who claims she is being stalked. But within twenty-four hours, the case turns lethal. David finds his client dead and himself framed for her murder.
Before the sun can set on his ruined life, David is kidnapped and discarded in an abandoned sanatorium hidden deep in the woods. But the 'empty' building isn't as hollow as it looks. It feels alive—shifting, watching, and determined to keep him trapped within its sterile walls.
To escape this waking nightmare and clear his name, David must navigate a maze of psychological horrors. He must face the demons of his past, present, and future to catch a monster and prove that he isn't the one who should be behind bars. In the Heaven Sanatorium, the truth isn't just hidden—it's waiting to tear him apart.
Excerpt:
A woman paced back and forth in her living room, hoping for an answer, but nothing came. The phone just rang and rang, over and over again. “Damn it!” she cried as her grip on the phone tightened. “Why won't you answer, you lazy bastard?!” She hung up and groaned, allowing her anger to overtake her body for a moment, but then she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “Please, answer,” she whispered into the phone as she dialed the number one last time. “Please, answer me, David.”
On the other side of the phone call, an old landline rang, resting on a messy, dark mahogany desk. What appeared to be case files were scattered around it, with a notepad and notes, names, and numbers written on it, some scratched out, and others circled. Some of the ink appeared fresh, while other marks slowly faded due to the beating sun finding its way through the old, cracking blinds. The sun, however, continued its slow journey into the room, creeping off the desk and onto the old wooden floorboards, then over the messy coffee table, as sloppy as the desk, and finally, onto the face of a man fast asleep.
He looked to have fallen asleep while reading a case file, hair a mess, facial hair desperate for a trim, and the same dark blue jeans, white button-up shirt, and black boots he had been wearing for the past week. The man’s nose crunched up as the sun's warmth kissed him, beginning to awaken him from a dream he didn't want to leave...
