Genre: Crime Fiction/Psychological
Thriller
Description:
“A found journal whose author wishes to remain anonymous... After
losing his family in a tragic automobile accident, one man’s reason to go on
living is stripped away. That is until one day, by chance - some might call it
serendipity - he overhears a conversation that moves him to consider a new
life. A man needs to be killed, and our protagonist decides to kill him. But he
doesn’t stop there. Keeping a journal at every step of his way, our anonymous
protagonist archives the subsequent events, taking the reader through his
accounts of the men he kills and the causal antecedents that facilitate these
assassinations. Attempting to come to grips with the life-shattering car crash
while trying to make sense of the moral ramifications of his deadly acts of
vigilantism - the ethical assassin kills only men who need killing - he tells
us his story while attempting to navigate the dangers of doing so.”
Author:
“William Ferraiolo received a Ph.D. in philosophy from the University
of Oklahoma in 1997. Since that time, he has been teaching philosophy at San
Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, California.”
Ferrailo has written several books which all seem to be non-fiction
prior to this one.
Appraisal:
This made for an interesting read. The premise (we can pretend it is
true if you want) is that this is a “memoir” that was found by a waitress in a
diner and based on the wishes of the author (he even makes that clear in the
story) was published as a book. The author, after a life-changing disaster in
his own life becomes an assassin, not killing people for hire or killing famous
people, but instead killing people who, based on their actions, “have it
coming.”
This was an interesting premise. The author didn’t want to go to
prison, which he makes very clear, so he’s careful in choosing his victims, not
taking chances on some who he thinks deserve to die, but involving situations
where he’d be more likely to get caught. He keeps on the move and does all that
he can to prevent getting caught. A lot of the story is, instead of what I’ll
call the “action” of planning and executing one of his victims is instead
pondering what he’s doing, his reasons for doing it, and the philosophy of
that. If these people really deserve to die, is him making it happen really a
bad thing? These and numerous other questions are going through his mind over
and over so at points it feels a bit repetitive, but it also feels real, like
anyone struggling with an idea tends to review the same things over and over in
their mind. Ultimately it made for a thought provoking read, even if I’m not
going to follow in his footsteps.
Buy now
from: Amazon US Amazon UK
Format/Typo
Issues:
Review is based on an ARC (advance reviewer copy) so I can’t gauge the
final product in this area.
Rating: ****
Four Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words
1 comment:
Very good blog and thanks for sharing useful information ,Thank you and good luck.
Best Books on Mindfulness and Meditation by Author Girish Jha Girish Jha’s books offer a rich blend of ancient Eastern wisdom, modern science, and practical tools — making the path of mindfulness accessible to people from all walks of life. Whether you are a beginner looking to ease stress or an experienced meditator seeking deeper insights, his works offer invaluable guidance.
Post a Comment