Poppet is the sixth novel in the Jack Caffery series by Mo Hayder.
A series of self-harm incidents resulting in suicide apparently occur at a psychiatric institution.
Tropes:
- Bedlam House: Beechway Psychiatric Unit turns out to have its own hospital director tormenting patients.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Melanie, who at first seems to be a Defrosting Ice Queen to AJ and a firm but fair leader, is revealed to be a total psychopath. On top of viciously abusing every man she was in a relationship with, she secretly tortured her patients the whole time they were in her care, outright killing four of them purely for enjoyment and even killing one victim by sitting on their chest until she crushed it. Emotionally abusing AJ, she posioned his dog purely because it annoyed her. After being exposed, she expresses nothing but satisfaction at all the harm she caused, and is only angry that she was stopped.
- Domestic Abuse: Melanie subjected all of her previous partners to this, with her former husband even showing Caffery the scars she inflicted. She was just starting to abuse AJ in the same way as well, by poisoning his dog because it annoyed her.
- Faux Affably Evil: Melanie appears to be a reasonable woman, albeit one with a forbidding reputation. During her romance with AJ she seemingly lets her hair down and shows herself to be a sweet, good natured and cheeky woman when off the clock. However once her real self is revealed, it's shown that her positive qualities are non-existent.
- Office Romance: Night Supervisor AJ has a relationship with Hospital Director Melanie.
- Self-Harm: Various psychiatric patients at Beechway Psychiatric Unit are apparently prone to deliberately injuring themselves.
- Self-Made Orphan: Isaac Handel is a patient who murdered his own parents.
