The Lords of Burnout

Working in The Mental Health Business Can Be Murder. Sometimes a Guy Needs a Little Support

By: Jonathan Jaye

Narrated by: Jonathan Jaye

Length: 5 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

A burned-out psychologist has a meltdown at his job on a psych ward and goes on disability. He tries to get back on his feet by starting a support group, but then one of its members, his best friend, is murdered after their meeting one night. From that point onward, their only path to recovery is to find out why. The answers are a wild ride through the horrors of the healthcare business.

©2019 Jonathan Wesley (P)2019 Jonathan Wesley

Felt Like Written Just for Me

I picked this book to listen to because I can completely relate to the background of the main character: worked in the psych field: check. Had co-workers who were malicious bullies: check. Had a non-warzone type of PTSD afterward (still get nauseated driving past my old work site): check. Throw in my favorite genre of a murder mystery and this book definitely checked all my boxes.

I thoroughly enjoyed this romp, where a psychologist who is unemployed after having a meltdown at his job forms a support group for other guys in similar situations. When a murder occurs, they band together to help the former psychologist figure out whodunnit. The characters in the support group are flawed and amusing, and their escapades are fun.

Why I didn't give the book a 5 star: The book is told in the first person, which I don't tend to like as much as third person. And, while the narrator has a pleasing voice, there were parts where he "read" the book rather than "performed" it the way some narrators can. I also found myself rewinding a few scenes to get more detail... that just wasn't there. Like his meltdown at work: I was looking for more mayhem and drama in the scene, and all of the sudden it was just over. The cool bar scene where his drunk friend was shooting liquor bottles was similarly over with and tidied up way too quickly. Some of the scenes made me pause: I found myself wondering about several times where the guys were hugging and crying. The guys I know just don't do that. Not several times in one book's-worth of time, anyway. An impassioned squeeze of the shoulder, maybe. Blink a little, look away. That kind of thing.

Despite those quibbles, I enjoyed this book and will look for other detective novels by this author. I like the different perspective of a detective with a psych background, who overcomes his nice-guy personality to menace his obnoxious neighbors and go after a killer.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Smart, snarky little mystery

Loved it from the start. Written by a real therapist, this story has great depth in the characters when the protagonist loses his friend Leo in a murder. Sticking his nose into the investigation and pissing off the police is one of the hero's pastimes. If you're looking for an interesting spin on the usual murder mystery, try this one on for size. You'll enjoy the intelligent writing and irreverent dialog.

Jonathan really delivers.

I thoroughly enjoy listening to Jonathan's stories. This book however is a bit more serious than his previous work. He brings an interesting cast of characters whose lives all intertwine. Buck is the yarn that weaves them together. And of course the story wouldn't be complete without a nut job neighbor.
Buck, the burned-out psychologist forms a support group for himself and his friends. Soon he finds his last sh#t show of a job will be detrimental to more than just his mental health. After a murder takes place within the group Buck and his friends are on a mission to find the killer. Complete with an ending that only the under-dog can appreciate this book is definitely worth a credit.
The narration is also great. Told in Jonathan's witty, sarcastic way this book is not without some humor. I was given a free copy of this book at my request.

Loosing your head over the mental health industry

Jonathan Jaye knocks it out of the park. For those of you who are familiar with Jonathan's previous books, this is a whole new twist. He takes his experiences in the mental health industry and uses it to create an intriguing and suspenseful murder mystery with just a touch of dark humor that we have come to enjoy from his previous work.

Jonathan brings to light the shit show of the mental health industry and the lack of support for peer counseling. Throw in a crazy neighbor who loses her head, a murder of a friend, a pinch of Columbo, and wash it all down with a few bong hits and a beer or two and you get the setting for this story.

Jonathan if you are reading this review, brother I absolutely enjoyed it!

I was given a free copy of this book and have chosen to voluntarily write a review.

this book was given to me at my request for review

this book is wonderful I enjoyed every moment of it, I enjoyed listening about the fraudulent Medicaid scams.

So real!!

A psychologist has a breakdown and goes on disability leave. He starts a support group, but soon thereafter, his friend is killed. He tries to find out what happened, and why.
 
The story was interesting and insightful. It was not what I expected but felt so real like it was actually happening right in front of me while I was listening. It was so authentic in the sense that I could relate certain parts of the narration to some people I know that have had breakdowns. Furthermore, on top of the hectic storyline, Jonathan has a way of incorporating dry humor into the story leaving you laughing out loud in a way and place you never expected.
 
Jonathan’s narration was perfect for the character in the story, making the story feel even more genuine. He definitely sounded like a psychologist, and the comedy came through remarkably with his sarcasm and irony.
 
Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone curious about what it is really like when someone has a meltdown, whilst being entertained and amused at the same time.

Note: This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this objective review voluntarily.