Review: A Killer's Grace

A Killer's Grace by Ronald Chapman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I came across this book through BookTasters. The author provided an ecopy for review purposes.

This book was a surprise for me. It was what I expected yet not what I expected. It opens with a letter from a criminal to a journalist. The letter was not proclaiming innocence though. The criminal admits to the crime but blames mental illness. In reality, this is not uncommon, in my opinion. I have heard many times, it was because he/she was mentally ill. Or abused. Or another excuse. From the opening I expected a story that explores that. I was right but wrong.

The book unfolds with Pitcairn, trying to decide if he should write something or not. It then goes where I didn't expect. Into Pitcairn's life. We learn that while under the influence Pitcairn did something devastating. Something he can't ever change. He can't even truly talk about it, though his AA sponsor and his wife know what happened. He had no way to make amends with this incident. Now, he believes he may have a chance at it. The story then goes on with Pitcairn. We are left with witnessing his journey.But we are not just silent witnesses. With each step he takes we are pulled along, examining our belief about alcoholism, mental illness and more. It is a book that you want to hurry through because you want to know more. But what you want and what you need are at war. You need to go slower. You need to think about a scene. You need to question or examine something. Make sure you have given yourself plenty of time when you begin. I wish I had this book in hard copy. It is one that I imagine would hold a treasure of my musings in the margins. I rarely write in a book but when I do, it is because it touched me deeply. Would I recommend this book? Yes.

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