Reread.

The final "gift" has been delivered to Harvey Connally, the uncle of Oliver Metcalf, but Harvey is certain the gift was actually meant for his nephew. When Oliver sees the shaving box with a blood-stained straight razor inside, all of the repressed memories came flooding back.

Oliver's father was a monster who had visited his rage upon the patients of the asylum and worse, his own son Oliver. And through Oliver's childhood, Malcolm had been grooming his son to be the instrument of his revenge. From the beginning of the renovation project, Oliver had been having blackouts and performing tasks (without his conscious knowledge) that his father had implanted into his memory years prior.

Between the death of his uncle and finding himself standing above Rebecca holding the straight razor, Oliver finally snaps out of the trance he's been in and realizes what has been going on in Blackstone all along. Now that he's remembered his past, he's been freed of his father's influence and the "curse" is lifted from the town.

This series was great. I love serial novellas and wish they would make a comeback. There was always just enough thrill and suspense in each novella to keep you eager for the next one. The stories were so well written that I was never truly sure who the dark figure was. Not until right before the reveal. I adore John Saul novels and am glad I decided to reread this series.

So das war's also mit den Blackstone Chroniken!Der letzte Teil der Reihe war sehr gut und hat so einiges erklärt was bisher in den dunklen,verwobenen Räumen des Irrenhauses versteckt war.
Das Ende kam irgendwie für mich doch überraschend,(ich musste den letzten Abschnitt nochmals lesen um es zu verstehen)
Schlussendlich fand ich die Storys gut,nur die Frauen kamen nicht gut an weil sie falsch,intregannt und naiv dargestellt wurden.
Deshalb würde ich dem nur 4,5 Sterne geben.

Was für mich auch sehr gut war;dass die Schrift meiner Buchausgabe fett und gross gedruckt war.Für kurzsichtige Leseratten wie mich ein klarer Vorteil!

The ending was a bit disappointing, but at the end of the day I enjoyed reading the book in serial form. I really enjoyed John Saul books as a kid, but as an adult I have somewhat outgrown his style of writing. I know you can buy all 6 books in one, but if you can, get them separately, I think it adds a bit to the series to have them in individual books.

3.5 stars
I gotta admit that I only read this series bc of my way too high goodreads goal but it was an okay read. I did guess the plot twist way too early tho and then it wasn't properly explained either so :/

This is a fantastic ending to the series. Some have complained it wasn't "big" enough, but this is a small town thriller... not a Michael Bay film.

In "Asylum," you finally fully understand Oliver's background and what has been driving the villain to commit such awful deeds. The reality of this is more disgusting and terrifying than any other element of the last five books put together, and I had a visceral reaction to the big reveal. What makes it so much more impactful for me is that Oliver's past is one that is shared by so many others, though perhaps not in that exact form. True terror comes not from the unbelievable, but from what's possible.

All loose ends are tied up here in spectacular fashion. If you're looking for a little more, though, pick up "The Blackstone Chronicles" computer game released back in the late nineties. It's a beautiful adventure game that takes place only a short time after this series ends, and it gets into the patient's histories a lot more deeply than the books do. Additionally, you get to know the meaning behind every item in a very intimate way and meet new spirits too. That game was a pleasure to play, especially to find out exactly what happened to Abraham and Paul.

This series was brilliantly composed and one of my favorites. I wish serials like this were more popular these days!

Awesome!

With a predictable, infuriating ending that felt far too easy and allows blame to be shifted out of sheer schmaltz, I did not enjoy the final installment. I guessed this ending in book one and just hoped I was wrong. Unfortunately, a poor ending makes me not want to recommend the entire series.