BELLEVUE

3.5 stars out of 5

Overall, I enjoyed this book - at least the premise of it. Abandoned former hospitals are not uncommon in many communities these days - there's one not far from my house - and there's nothing gets the old heart rate skyrocketing than the thought of a few unhinged ghosts wandering around in them. 

In this instance, it's the old Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital in New York City - long since closed but not torn down - still standing next to the current Bellevue Hospital. As a teaching facility, new classes of residents are admitted each year, and this season's group includes twenty-something Michael Fuller - known as Mitt. He's a bit surprised to have been selected for the residency, although he's aware that family ties might have played a role; several of his ancestors were noted physicians who practiced at the old Bellevue over the years dating back to its beginnings. 

In addition to his medical skills, Mitt has another one that he doesn't acknowledge publicly: precognitive ability (a.k.a., sixth sense). As he begins to work with patients under the supervision of seasoned physicians, it starts to kick in - but not in a good way. To begin with, he "sees" a young girl wearing a bloody dress and hears screams from people who aren't there. Then, during the surgery he's assisting with for his first "assignment," a couple of strange things happen. But that's not the worst part; inexplicably, the patient dies. 

Although what happened creeps Mitt out a bit, he chalks it up to happenstance. When the second of Mitt's assigned patients dies under unusual circumstances, though, it's a bit harder to shove under his mental rug. After the third, well, he starts to wonder if he's somehow responsible. That, in turn, makes him wonder what awful things really happened at that long-closed psych hospital - and what part his ancestors played in the horrific goings-on.

All that leads to an ending that, all things considered, wasn't too surprising. And while it held my attention throughout, in the end, it was repetition - and to a certain extent, predictability - that kept me from loving this book (as is my custom for books by this author). Still, I enjoyed it very much and thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to read and review a pre-release copy.

Bellevue by Robin Cook (G.P. Putnam's Sons, December 2024); 351 pp.