I deeply thank the author for an ARC copy via Librarything. It sure took me ages to read & review it, but better later than never!

I entered this book without having any idea what to expect. While I knew the book would be a story from the viewpoint of a psychopath who starts going on a murder spree, I didn't really focus any attention to the particular aspects from the blurb, and didn't dare read any other reviews either.

We all know psychopaths are living among us, and have been spoon-fed from Hollywood flicks and ultra-dramatized tv shows that explain their murder sprees with succinct detail, making the layman suspect these sorts of unsolved homicides are happening everywhere. In reality, most homicides are usually spurs of the moment from muggings, gang or cartel crime, or very grisly crimes of passion. Serial killings are actually very rare, but the causes that spur psychopaths to cross the fine line are as varied as their personal profiles.

That said, the vast majority of psychopaths that engage in crime are usually both mentally very unstable and/or come from a blue collar background. This book instead decides to focus on the small group of psychopaths that are intelligent, successful, initially very likeable and have prominent social lives.

Jeremy Balint is a prominent Jewish Cardiologist living in an upper class suburbanite neighborhood in New Jersey, with a controlling and pragmatic wife named Amanda and two endearing young daughters. His life seems at first sight perfect until one day, he gets distracted on the commute home and runs over a dog. Initially desperate to save the animal's life, his instincts take him to the house of a young transplant surgeon named Warren Sugarman in the derelict hopes the man might save the pooch’s life. Little does he know, he discovers the man is alone at home half naked and caressing a woman in his living room sofa. Jeremy's prior life of being an outstanding citizen crumbles apart when he discovers the woman paying his coworker a visit is his wife!

Instead of feeling angry at Amanda or decide something civil such as reconciliation or divorce, Jeremy decides a different tactic according to his newly found twisted sense of logic: he has to murder his rival in order to save his marriage.

He never felt like a typical Hollywood stereotype psychopath with a rough upbringing and poor social skills. At first, he seems almost redeeming and his mental ramblings more the result of shock and denial of Amanda's treason. As the book moves forward and Jeremy starts deceiving people for his own benefit, you start to see figments of the monster hiding beneath the surface. A crazy cat lady neighbor yells at him because she doesn't believe those scratch marks on his face come from a wild raccoon, plenty of coworkers have spotted him leaving the hospital with a nursing student named Delilah, or the time he shuts off the radio in front of his wife in the car abruptly out of frustration when the blunding idiot of the prosecutor in charge of the new Emerald Choker killer case has stated a new discovery of the investigation that Jeremy knows is completely off track. Maybe these little things seem off-putting in a sort of way, but if people had known that Jeremy was killing complete strangers while juggling an endless life surrounded by playdates with his kids, meals with his neighbors, patient consults and the new free clinic he was coerced to supervise, these minor incidents would prove his true character.

Jeremy is quite an ironic character in the sense that he is viewed as an outstanding doctor going to great lengths to prolong the lives of terminal patients, but he sees no qualms in killing old people because they have outlasted their usefulness. His narcissism and high intellect only makes him an even more dangerous person, fueled by the way his mother puts him on the highest pedestal.

Jeremy goes to great lengths to ensure the cops have a hard time finding the killer, and he even feels a tinge of regret that he will probably get away with it.

The book was clearly well edited, and I didn't find any typos or meandering writing. There is enough description to give you a feel of the places without being overly flowery. I thought the story was thrilling to read from start to end, and if I have just one complaint, it would be that even though the book is focused solely on Jeremy's twisted POV, it would seem like he was the only smart guy and everyone around him was dumb. I also started to feel like the endless social gatherings Amanda forced on Jeremy to get tiring after a bit. Furthermore, Jeremy was being sued by the family of a girl who drowned in his pool and hesitated to even say hello to the traumatized mother due to the fears of losing the lawsuit, but he still ends up renting the house a few weeks later without any concern in the world even though the lawsuit hadn't been settled yet.

Other than that, I had a lot of fun reading this book! ( )

This is a cunningly crafted novel about your not-so-typical serial murderer, a successful Jewish cardiologist. As the story unfolds, the reader begins to sense and feel dismay at the lack of empathy in Dr. Jeremy Balint, who can best be described as a sociopath. A bizarre part of this novel was when this murderer was asked by his rabbi to do a mitzvah (a good deed). Begrudgingly, the doctor did so. The hypocrisy of this doctor’s life increases as the story moves forward. This serial murderer is continually being lauded for his ethics. Come on!

An unusual novel in a genre I usually either can’t follow or don’t enjoy, this story was unusually engaging to me. However, there was one small part of this book that I felt was a bit cringe-worthy. It was Balint’s reactions to work he was doing on behalf of medical clinics for poor blacks. At one point, he made a black-face joke. Although it was in part of a conversation in the book and nothing I heard aloud, I had a very knee-jerk upset reaction to it. It made me angry, actually. I wish it hadn’t been part of this book although I’m aware I’m reading fiction.

This book was published in 2017. The prologue to this book was spot on. The author had no idea how prescient his words would be. You’ll have to read what he wrote and ponder it before proceeding to read this novel.

A prescient line from this book was “by this time next year, we’ll be sitting in this office, watching that Choker fellow on live television”. As I write these words, live television is presenting (although I’m not watching) the trial of the police officer involved in the death of George Floyd. What a sad coincidence.

In all, I enjoyed the experience of reading this book. The segments were just the right size. The characters were obnoxious enough to be believable. The hypocrisy of the the protagonist’s life was a tale unto itself. The Jewish references either made me cringe or laugh (“Boker tov!”). The story itself was direct and fast-moving, allowing me to proceed through the story without being bored at any point. The story is carefully constructed. All of Jeremy’s detailed plans are laid out in a way that the reader is made to feel a part of the whole plan!

I think my husband would also like this story so I’m saving this book for him to read next. ( )

The Mask of Sanity was the fifth Jacob Appel book I read through the Members Giveaway. As with his other novels and collections of short stories, this book was well-written and interesting. The characters were well-developed and the story kept me engaged throughout. As a fellow medical person, I always enjoy Dr. Appel's references to medical topics. I look forward to reading more of his work in the future. ( )

I was provided with a copy of this book by the publisher.

I have enjoyed all the books by Jacob Appel, but this is my favorite so far.
It kept me rapt from start to finish. I don't believe in giving too much information about a book in reviews to prevent spoiling the book for others.

It's a story of a doctor, turned killer, and the extent to which he goes to deter the authorities from himself. As he gets sicker, his life gets better and better. Things keep working out in his favor. It makes you think about when is karma going to strike.

Mr. Appel ends the book in the most ambiguous way, which really makes you wonder what is next for this character.

I loved the book from start to finish. ( )

I couldn't finish this... as much as I wanted to... it bothered me a lot. I made it to page 134 and had to stop. Let me start by saying that I absolutely love reading books about serial killers so that is not why I didn't like this book. This doctor trying to be a serial killer was way off the mark so much that it disgusted me to continue reading it. I literally hated the main character. What I don't understand is the method to his madness. FIrst he kills an elderly couple.. that didn't bother me too bad. It got worse when he killed a child (wtf)! Oh and then he was going to kill a priest but couldn't because of the video camera outside the church. A priest?!? The only reason he is killing people is so he can kill the guy who is screwing his wife. I had to stop when he was looking for his next victim in the obituaries... meaning killing someone who literally just lost someone. Nope nada. Oh and on a side note a girl drowns in his pool and he don't care and when the father of the girl beats him up... he is mad they didn't arrest the father... REALLY? I'll go back to reading his short stories to get over this book. No stars.