The Survivor

A middle-aged psychiatric social worker (imagine Maggie Smith in the role) vs. a mad mutilator (Brando would be great with an English accent) in an asylum for the criminally insane near Staffordshire. Margaret Hayes arrives at Brockley Old Hall, a hospital prison that appears to specialize in mass murderers; her job is to be a kind of effective Miss Lonelyhearts for the 250 inmates, or at least for those who are still reachable. Hayes is soon a towering figure of strength for the prisoners, a woman of enormous resource. And she needs all her resources in dealing with a glorious gallery of case after strange case of murderous dementia, most of whom are touching. . . but hopeless. Especially hopeless is catatonic, hideously ugly Michael Loft, ex-artist, who has hardly spoken a word of English in ten years since he was jailed for leading his beast-sect in several ritual drug murders--including the skinning alive of Margaret's 15-year-old daughter in a crazed attempt to change her into a bird. And for ten years Margaret has lived for the day that she will kill him; only he now has a maniacally warm identification with beasts that charms her.(Kirkus)