Book Review: ‘You Don’t Have To Be Mad To Work Here’ by Benji Waterhouse

I’m really intrigued by people’s jobs and always enjoy a sneaky behind-the-scenes look at other people’s careers. Especially jobs I could never do in a million years – and NHS psychiatrist can definitely be added to this list if this book is anything to go by!

Benji Waterhouse takes us on a journey through his psychiatric career – right from when he chose to specialise in psychiatry through to his various placements as he grapples with the state of mental healthcare in the NHS. Through this, we also learn a bit about Waterhouse’s family, his own mental health problems (it’s totally normal and actually recommended for psychiatrists to be in therapy themselves) and his feelings about the challenges of the job.

The easy comparison here is Adam Kay – like Kay, Waterhouse is funny and self-deprecating, but also doesn’t shy away from the more shocking elements. It’s always engaging and eye-opening, but often sad and frustrating too, as a lot of Waterhouse’s initial learning seems to be how to discharge patients who he has serious concerns about but for whom there is no available hospital bed. We meet a range of these patients – some ‘frequent fliers’ who play the system, some tragic and suicidal cases, and some whose mental health challenges have comic elements (although much of the humour is really levelled at Waterhouse himself). It’s important to say that Waterhouse doesn’t undermine the dignity of the patients – obviously, they are given pseudonyms or are amalgams of cases he’s encountered, and their difficulties are presented as (sometimes temporary) ailments or through unusual situations rather than being who they are as people.

I really enjoyed this book, if ‘enjoyed’ can be the right word for something that raised so many concerns about the broken NHS system of mental healthcare. This is a system stretched to its limits, peopled by those who are doing their best in impossible circumstances and receiving little recognition for their considerable efforts. However, it’s also often a warm portrait of patients who Waterhouse clearly cares about deeply. In fact, he comes across well himself too – a caring, if stressed and hardworking doctor with a bit of imposter syndrome and going through an incredibly steep learning curve.

This will make you very glad you’re not an NHS psychiatrist, but very grateful for the fact that some people do sign up for it as they’re clearly needed. It will definitely make you want mental health services funded properly. It will also raise a few smiles too – there are some lovely comic touches, with the table tennis story being my favourite!

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy – opinions are entirely my own.

Header photo by rivage on Unsplash

Book Review: ‘The Dirty Dozen’ by Lynda La Plante

It’s time for my review of Book 5 in the Jane Tennison crime series by Lynda La Plante!

Thanks to Compulsive Readers for inviting me to read the series as part of #TeamTennison and Zaffre Books for my review copy of the book. As always, opinions are entirely my own.


I’ve really enjoyed this series to date, so I was looking forward to see what came next in Jane Tennison’s (1970s) Metropolitan police career before the events of the ‘Prime Suspect’ TV series with Helen Mirren. Each of the books have been so different, with Jane involved in traditional police procedures, forensic murder investigations, undercover police work, lots of different teams in different areas of London and even the aftermath of a major bombing.

In this instalment, WDS Jane Tennison has finally gained a spot in the famous Flying Squad, also known as ‘The Sweeney’. She knows it’s going to be tough, especially as the first female detective there, but nothing can prepare her for the dramatic events of his first day when she attends the scene of an armed robbery on a bank. As the investigation progresses, it seems both that the gang involved have a bigger target in mind, and that Jane’s maverick policing techniques may just get her in a lot of trouble…

Continue reading Book Review: ‘The Dirty Dozen’ by Lynda La Plante

(Audio)Book Review: ‘Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind’ by Sue Black

I’m very fortunate to have a lovely hardback copy of this and also the audiobook version so this is a combined review as I swapped between them at will!

Normally at this point I’d thank whoever granted me a review copy but I can confirm I bought this one with my own pennies after reading Black’s previous (excellent) book ‘All That Remains: A Life in Death’.

For those of you who aren’t aware, Professor Dame Sue Black is a forensic anthropologist who has worked on some absolutely fascinating cases over a long career.  She has a mind-bogglingly long list of letters after her name, awards coming out of her ears and bucketloads of plaudits from just about everyone that matters in her scientific field.

Continue reading (Audio)Book Review: ‘Written in Bone: Hidden Stories in What We Leave Behind’ by Sue Black