Official Review: Angry Enough to Kill by S.J. Dunn

[melbuhtoast]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Angry Enough to Kill" by S.J. Dunn.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Angry Enough to Kill by S.J. Dunn is a psychological thriller that not only deals with the topic of sexual abuse, but also looks at the failings of the justice system and the morality of vigilante justice.

Loring Jeremias and her husband David are the epitome of success. Loring is a well-regarded stockbroker and David is a lawyer on the brink of becoming a partner. The one thing most of their friends and colleagues don’t know, however, is that Loring lives with the dark secret of a childhood of her father’s sexual abuse. It hangs over her like a storm, making her angry and causes her to lash out over seemingly simple things. It is a battle that Loring struggles with every day and over time it has put a strain on her marriage to David.

After a girl’s weekend away with her two best friends Robin and Kendy, who are both sexual assault survivors themselves, Loring is pushed to the edge after hearing a new report about the arrest of a serial predator. That night at dinner, after a little too much wine, the three women construct the perfect way to bring justice to the predators of the world that justice system doesn’t take care of. They outline a series of rules to make sure their plot is seamless; it isn’t until the next morning that Kendy and Loring are determined to make their plan a reality, rather than just a silly dinner game.

Unfortunately, Loring has to put her resolve to the test sooner than she expects when she learns that crooked stockbroker, Edward Hawker, may be a pedophile too. As she begins snooping around, he quickly catches on to her scheme, and suddenly Hawker is a danger to not only her life, but David’s as well.

One of the major themes of this book is how debilitating sexual abuse can be, and the destruction it can have on the victims’ lives. The way in which the author used Loring – a victim of sexual abuse – as the narrator really made the anger and struggle to function in everyday life real. The justice system and its failings are also put under the microscope, as many pedophiles are set free every day, unfortunately with little or no retribution. I myself have been one of the lucky ones that Loring so wishes to be, and found this theme not only harrowing, but deeply unsettling and made me even more sympathetic to the victims of these crimes.

As someone who doesn’t believe in vigilante justice, I expected the book to be difficult to relate to. However, the more background I was given about Loring, Robin, and Kendy’s experiences, and the more emotion that was poured into the story as their stories unfolded, I can completely see where this sort of scenario is possible. I certainly don’t condone murder, but I can understand where the motivation to do so could come from, after reading this.

In the description on Amazon, it’s noted that this book would appeal to fans of "Dexter" and "Law and Order: SVU", and I would have to agree. From the vigilante justice point of view, it certainly reminded me quite a bit of Dexter. I think that those who enjoyed movies like Watchmen and Sin City would like this book as well. In fact, the entire time I was reading, I kept envisioning it in the same comic book film noir style.

Overall, I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I felt the characters were well developed, and the story memorable and compelling enough that I couldn’t put it down. It’s spooky in all the right ways, and will leave you anxious to know what happens next. There are others coming in this series, and I can’t wait to read them.

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Angry Enough to Kill
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[sjdunn]

Thank you so much for this review. Of course, I'm pleased that you gave my novel 4 out of 4 stars, but more than that, I'm so glad that you, as a reader, couldn't put it down...that was my major aim.

Sincerely,
Sheryl

[Jesska6029]

This seems like it's a good one! Well developed characters and a good plot make any story good. I'll put this one on my list. Great review!

[melbuhtoast]

Thank you so much for this review. Of course, I'm pleased that you gave my novel 4 out of 4 stars, but more than that, I'm so glad that you, as a reader, couldn't put it down...that was my major aim.

Sincerely,
Sheryl

You are so very welcome, Sheryl! It was a page turner, that's for sure! I look forward to reading others in the series as you release them!

-- 19 Jun 2015, 09:22 --

This seems like it's a good one! Well developed characters and a good plot make any story good. I'll put this one on my list. Great review!

Thank you! I tried to do the best I could to do this great story justice. I hope you like it once you get around to reading it!

[Rachaelamb1]

I'm not sure I could handle a psychological thriller but the concept of the book certainly is intriguing.

[zeldas_lullaby]

Great review, and it seems like a great book!

[melbuhtoast]

Great review, and it seems like a great book!

Thank you so much! I really enjoyed it and recommend it (obviously, based on my review I guess! )

[Levi]

Intriguing, great review and now I can't wait to read it.