Title: Forgive Me, Alex
Author: Lane Diamond
Published: Evolved Publishing, 2012
Blurb: Tony Hooper stands in shadow across the street, one amongst many in the crowd of curiosity-hounds gathered to watch a monster’s release. Seventeen years after Mitchell Norton, “the devil,” terrorized Algonquin, Illinois on a spree of kidnapping, torture and murder, the authorities release the butcher from psychiatric prison.
Tony longs to charge across the street to destroy Norton—no remorse—as if stepping on a cockroach. Only sheer force of will prevents his doing so.
“The devil” walks the world again. What shall Tony do about it? Aye, what indeed.
After all, this is what Tony does. It’s who he is. “The devil” himself long ago made Tony into this hunter of monsters. What a sweet twist of fate this is, that he may still, finally, administer justice.
Will FBI Special Agent Linda Monroe stop him? She owes him her life, so how can she possibly put an end to his?
Tony Hooper and Mitchell Norton battle for supremacy, with law enforcement always a step away, in this story of justice and vengeance, evil and redemption, fear and courage, love and loss.
My review:
I’d like to preface this by saying I’m a huge fan of all serial killer works, particularly shows like Criminal Minds and Dexter. I really enjoy the psychological aspect of these stories and just can’t seem to get enough of either of those shows. Consequently, I have pretty high standards when it comes to this genre.
First Line: “I never expected to be a killer.” Yup, that got my attention straight away.
What I Liked: The narrative style which alternates between the protagonist and antagonist. This is great, kind of like watching Criminal Minds and Dexter at the same time getting both perspectives in one case. I really appreciated the way the author balanced the darkness and light in the voices of Tony and Mitchell, as well as balancing out their perspectives to give us insight into their different mindsets.
What I didn’t Like: The narrative style which jumps backwards and forwards in time. While I loved the two different perspectives, I found the time jumps disorientating and confusing. They actually annoyed me at times. Just when I thought I’d got a handle on the current situation, the narrative would jump and I’d lose the thread. This type of narrative is extremely ambitious and I think the author pulled it off; it’s just not for me.
My Rating: This is tough. The book is well written, the narrative interesting, the plot complete with a few unexpected twists is engaging and yet I didn’t find myself too emotionally invested. This may have been a result of the switching POV. I battled to feel truly connected to either character and felt a bit in limbo about where my sympathies lay. I’ll settle on 3.5/5 and strongly recommend this story to anyone who’s a fan of psychological approaches to crime writing
About the author: I write fiction, long and short. My writings cross over many genres and focus on diverse subjects, ranging from the mysteries of the human mind, with its fragile psychological and emotional states, to the everyday joy and anguish of life on Earth. Ultimately, characters move me – as both a reader and an author. It’s all about the people. When not writing, I’m Publisher and Executive Editor at Evolved Publishing. Connect with me on my website, Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, or via Evolved Publishing.
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