Two US Marshals are assigned to investigate and assist after the breakout of a mental patient from a maximum security prison/mental hospital built at an old civil war fort on an island off the coast of Massachusetts. They arrive and things get creepy right from the start. The story takes place in the 1950s.
A hurricane comes and strands them on the island without communications outside the hospital/prison. The power is out, so all the prisoners escape their cells. I kept thinking about the dude that shakes his head really fast in the movie "Jacob's Ladder". That guy freaks me out.
These prisoners are the worst of the worst. Extremely violent psychotics sent there because other places can't handle them.
The story evolves into a huge government conspiracy and secret experiments done on the patients to make super soldiers.
The main character has come back from WWII with some serious problems of his own due to memories of the war and the death of his wife. He talks about these things with his partner and reveals a lot about himself. One thing being that the arsonist who started the fire that killed his wife is supposedly a patient on the island, but the hospital personnel deny his existance.
It gets really weird.
It is an exellent story and the end was totally unexpected. I did not see it coming. Not in a million years. Very very good.
I hope the movie that is coming out soon doesn't destroy this story. I recommend you read it before seeing that film.
Yes, totally agree with your assessment. I'm quite looking forward to the movie. I know, Hollywood usually manages to screw these things up, but it is Martin Scorsese. Also Dennis Lehane wrote several episodes of The Wire (best television show ever if you haven't seen it yet), so he probably understands a bit about how the process works and may have even been involved. The book is good, though, really freaky and doesn't even need a movie, it's that satisfying.
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