The Crazy One

By: Rebecca Markus

Narrated by: Jacq Ainsworth

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

From devoted fan to celebrity stalker: The Crazy One is the most unique stalker novel you'll listen to this year. 

Joel Ruskin is a B-list celebrity barely famous enough to warrant extra security. Which is why Lucy has no trouble tracking him down on social media and following him to a secluded mountain town. Nothing will stop her from turning her fantasies of Joel into reality. Not even Joel’s pesky new girlfriend can get in her way. The power of Lucy’s mind is unstoppable as she resolves to finally be part of Joel's life and exterminate the other woman. 

Rebecca Markus’ sophomore stalker-suspense novel allows listeners to witness a unique unraveling of the human psyche that will leave you questioning your own reality.

©2018 Rebecca Markus (P)2019 Rebecca Markus

Great and Intriguing novel

This book follows Lucy who was obsessed with wanting to be with a celebrity. First it was rock star named Beau Castle, then it was a guy named Joel Ruskin. The story starts off with Lucy in the present with a reporter trying to get the scoop to create a story with, and then it drifts into the past. It flowed in quite nicely.

With the information you get, you can tell that she has at least a touch of OCD. She is a girl who pretends things like any child would, but she is no child. As an adult that pretends so hard and wants things to be real, there are lengths that she takes to makes things real.

The author did a great job getting into the mind of Lucy and giving you a feel of what Lucy is feeling. You won't want to miss this book, it was so intriguing.

Narrator did a great job on the reading. She has a nice soft voice and it kind of flowed well for the book.

I received a free review copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving am honest review

Celebrity Stalker

This was an entertaining book and I enjoyed listening to it. Lucy Bonneville is obsessed with celebrities, first a rock star named Beau Castle, then a B-list host named Joel Ruskin. The book is loosely divided among three POV: Lucy's real life, Lucy's fantasy obsession and a journalist who wants to write a true crime story about the whole situation.

It did take a little time to be able to follow these different POVs since the book switched between Lucy's fantasy and real life frequently throughout the book. I am sure if you were reading a physical/e-book, the author would have done something to let you know when these two views switched. In the audiobook, there wasn't really a way to tell what was going on until you heard a bit of the story.

The author has done a good job with describing Lucy's obsession and some of the things she did were truly chilling. I hate to think that a person would become so obsessed that they would do the things she did in order to make her fantasy real.

The narrator did a good job and added a lot to my enjoyment of this book. I was given the chance to listen to this audiobook through Story Origins and chose to review it.

Baskerville Book Reviews

The Crazy One can be a bit tedious to follow in audiobook format if you’re not paying close attention. It alternates between a present-day true-crime writer’s version of events, and a psychotic woman’s perspective. I only ever noticed it saying “Present Day” at chapter headers or in between. I think it would have been useful if it included whose perspective it was currently. The only way I could tell was if it was saying “She” or “I”. It’s an interesting story and concept but poorly executed.

At the start of the audiobook, I noticed some hissing audio. My phone was close and I didn’t pay attention to it for the rest of the book, so I don’t know if it continued. The narration, much like the execution was extremely lacking. The narration is mostly done in the same tone of voice, making it sound dull and lifeless. Two things I will always find annoying are the narrator’s inability to tell “O” apart from Zero and her mispronouncing the word envelope. “Onvelope” isn’t a word. If somebody came to me saying “I ontered the room, where I ongaged with my guests, ontertaining them for hours, before flicking the light switch, onveloping the room in darkness.” I’d assume they didn’t know proper English or something.

NOTE: This copy was provided to me free of charge as a digital review copy. The opinions stated in this review are mine and mine alone, I was not paid or requested to give this book a certain rating, suggestion, or approval

off her rocker

When the book first started I got confused and didn't have a clue what was going on. As soon as I caught up and figured out how the story was being told I was waiting for something to happen and it never did. it was interesting in some parts but if you didn't listen carefully than you would get lost.

Strange strange lady

Gosh, I actually havnt listened to a story like this one before.

Lucy is a stalker.
Who 100% believes in the story she’s got going on in her head.

It was an interesting listen.
Stalker/crime/unreciprocated romance.

3 star listen
Gifted audio in exchange for an honest review

Fabulous

I really do LOVE this book. Poor Lucy, Poor Joel, poor Sydney. I really don't think that people like Lucy can help there craziness. I'm sure if she had a choice she wouldn't have chosen to be all crazy and obsessive. So I really didn't think of her as a "Bad guy" in this story. Just sad. I'm actually very jealous of her imagination. I did a three-year bid myself and imagination like that would have really helped pass the time. But this was a great audiobook. The narrator did an awesome job. She really did bring a lot of life to the story. Also, I normally don't make comments on the cover, but I love that too! It's so beautiful in a dark kind of way. (And I like the lipstick! lol) I would love to listen/read more from Rebecca Markus...and review. I highly recommend this one!

Imagination Gone Crazy

The start of 'The Crazy One' finds Elijah, a real-crime writer, interviewing Lucy from her prison cell. Elijah is interested in ferreting out the true story from Lucy of what landed her behind bars. In an attempt to get her to open up, he suggests she write her story down in a notebook that he has given her. From that point the story breaks up into different versions of what Lucy did to land herself in prison.

Author Rebecca Markus weaves 4 different versions of the progression of events that lead to Lucy stalking Joel, a popular TV host. The first, and smallest, is Elijah trying to dig up information about the case that's not publicly known. The story is also told as it happens in real life. And Lucy's POV is shown twice--one, her imaginings of events as they happen and the other, the story she writes in the notebook.

Each version is woven with the others to give the reader a picture of how Lucy slowly descends into complete delusion. She becomes more willing to do things that she knows are wrong in an attempt to bring her imaginings to life.

The method the author employs for the storytelling is intriguing and effective. The tension builds throughout the book until the explosive climax.

I haven't read many psychological dramas like the one in this book. It piqued my interest after seeing it on a review list and I requested a free copy. I agreed to post this voluntary review of it.

The performance by Jacq Ainsworth is good. Her narration fits the tone of the story nicely.

Recommended.

An entertaining look into the mind of a stalker.

What a unique, fascinating read! I couldn't put it down. An entertaining look inside the mind of a stalker. Well told, Rebecca. I enjoyed the Omaha landmarks, being from there, also.
I listened to an Audiobook version and found the narrator very easy to listen to and enjoy.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

Crazy!

*This audiobook was given to me for free at my request in exchange for an honest review*
Mmmmmmh that book was scary in many aspects to me. You know the social media can be dangerous and some people is mmmh like cray-cray but you never truly imagine stuff like that! At least I didn't!
Rebecca Markus can keep your attention from start to finish that's for sure!

Mentally Ill, OhYes, but Should Lucy be in Prison?

Rebecca Markus undertakes a challenging novel with 'The Crazy One'. I have to admit that as a health professional, the term 'crazy' sends shivers down my spine, since it reminds me of the asylums of yesteryears where 'crazy' people were just housed or received horrific treatments that often ended in their tortured deaths. Putting that aside, the author provides a very good portrait of Lucy's gradual decent into psychosis from her original functional delusional personality disorder. Based on the author's profile, Lucy fits the description of an individual with an existing mental illness that also has secondary erotomania. She's had a childhood where she felt deprived of love & in fact, she started to fantasize about living a more exciting life when she was about 10. She suffers from OCD, although she has been controlling her symptoms. She was bullied in school. She is socially awkward and fades into the background wherever she goes. She is still financially dependent on her parents. Lucy has worked 8 years at a family owned mall store but nowhere else. Lastly & most importantly, she has no real friends. Amazingly, she has managed to stay in touch with reality for over 26 years but as she begins to decompensate, she blends more of her fantasies into her 'real' life and her delusions take over her damaged psyche. Before her move to Colorado, had any of her acquaintances or family tried to get Lucy to a psychologist for treatment, a diagnosis of erotomania would have been diagnosed and her life path could have been changed. In an April 2nd,2019, article in Psychology Today, by Dr. Joe Pierre, entitled "Erotomania: When Love is a Delusion", the doctor mentions that this syndrome has been around for a millennia, yet why individuals develop this delusion still remains unclear. Just like Lucy, in this novel, modern day sufferers find their hidden messages of love through social media. Ms. Markus highlights how Lucy follows Twitter feeds & other forms of current day social media to get her 'love' messages to keep track of Beau Castle and then Joel Ruskin. We sadly meet Lucy as she sits in the prison's visitors room meeting with True Crime writer Elijah who is planning to write a book about her crime. It is vital that you read/listen carefully to their conversations since there are comments that reveal important information about Lucy's mental status. Elijah's role in the novel is to seek out individuals who either knew Lucy or might remember her and be willing to provide him with behavioral information related to the stalking. In the novel, he is also the instrument that brings the story back to the current day. Having Lucy write a journal for Elijah was an excellent way to provide the reader/listener with insight into how Lucy's delusional thinking decompensated during her last few months in Colorado and why she became more violent. How two individuals living in a house didn't suspect that they had a stalker(not a ghost) is the one question I'm left to ponder. Towards the end of her stalking, Lucy pulled some rather spectacular stunts that most certainly would have had me questioning whether I was being targeted. Sadly, many stalkers end up harming their targets however, this is rarer with erotomania. I feel like I'm writing a review for the court to consider leniency for Lucy and instead of punishment, consider rehabilitation. I've explained her syndrome which is legitimate and based on Joel Ruskin's personality, I believe that he would be in agreement that placing Lucy in a treatment centre would better serve society. This novel evoked many feelings in the reader/listener community towards Lucy most of which was sadness due to her mental decline. Given this fact, knowing Lucy's ongoing difficulties and the bullying that she has to deal with in prison, shouldn't Lucy be transferred to a Mental Health Facility?😷 The author has very well portrayed an individual with this form of mental illness and the narrator helped with her excellent vocal characterizations. Although this was fiction, sadly the circumstances portrayed do happen in our society. If you are concerned about a friend or family member, get them to treatment as early as possible to avoid the tragic ending Lucy faced. I would recommend this book for those individuals who enjoy psychological thrillers and/or novels that delve into the functioning of the psyche.

I received a complementary copy of this audiobook at my request, from StoryOrigin in exchange for an honest review. I am not related nor friends with this author. The opinions expressed in this review are fully mine unless identified as that of another person.