Bash: Love, Madness, and Murder: Inside and Outside a Hospital for the Criminally Insane

Ashley Roper, Afghanistan War combat veteran, is now a writer and tabloid publisher in Charleston, SC. The nearby Blakemore Anderson State Hospital (BASH) for the criminally insane, is offering up a rich variety of potentially juicy stories including an escaped murderer, a patient released by a jury, the violent murder of a staff member, and illicit drugs finding their way through the barbed wire perimeter of BASH.Ash decides to investigate from the inside, but through a series of unforeseen circumstances, ends up trapped in the hospital as a patient. Ash’s headstrong wife Sally J and her lawyer buddy and former lover Roswell take on the system to try and spring Ash. The romantic and legal sparks fly inside and outside of BASH on a hot July Fourth weekend. A roadside cafe owner, a charming weather forecaster, a meth cooking biker, a crooked cop, a homicide detective, battling lawyers, and a variety of incompetent bureaucrats cross paths in this engaging and dramatic adventure.. Bartos writes with an accomplished flair resulting in a relaxed read, his words flow easily creating memorable and engaging characters. Gritty and very realistic, BASH by Mike Bartos is highly recommended =Artisan Book Reviews. “Bartos’ sharp writing is fast-paced and packed with detail…””An intriguing premise…” -Kirkus Indie,- a service of Kirkus Reviews. …”with themes that echo One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and quirky, hard-bitten characters reminiscent of Elmore Leonard’s.” -Blue Ink Review. “BASH is an enthralling read””Darkly comic and hair raising…” Napa Valley Register . “Bartos maintains a high level of reader interest by introducing numerous intriguing elements.””Readers will be compelled to read onward and will be rewarded…” -Clarion Review. Gloriously satiric while simultaneously real, magnificently written, Bartos turns up the heat in a novel that conflagrates and sparks. – TheReviewBroads.com . Bartos surest gift is a Tarantino-esque ability to find abstract humor amidst contextual brutality.BASH is a strong showing from a new fiction author Palmetto Review. “Vivid and immediate writing.”“I really liked BASH; it’s a great story…”“…hugely exciting… -Bookpleasures.com