The setting is Prague in 1935. The Nazis are beginning their encroachment into surrounding countries. Viktor Kosárek, a psychiatrist who studied with Carl Jung, comes to the creepy mountain castle that houses the Hrad Orlu Asylum for the criminally insane. The country's six most notorious killers are housed there. The six, known as the Woodcutter, the Clown, the Vegetarian, the Sciomancer, and the Demon, are going to be subjects Viktor will study in an effort to find what he calls "The Devil Aspect", an archetype shared by all that caused them to commit their horrific crimes. He also begins a romance with a secretary working at the asylum. However, the police in Prague are dealing with a brutal serial killer called "Leather Apron" by the press. Police investigator Lukas Smolak enlists the help of the doctors at the asylum in his investigation. Then Viktor begins to suspect that an old friend may be the killer. The story is appropriately dark and somewhat gory and even though I predicted the ending twist before it happened, it is a page-turner of a story. I listened to the audiobook which was nicely performed by Julian Rhind-Tutt.
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