Two men... two methods... two motivations...one darkness. Step inside the twisted mind of a killer, and of the man determined to end him at any cost, as Tony Hooper and Mitchell Norton battle for supremacy with law enforcement always a step away. This story of justice and vengeance, evil and redemption, fear and courage, love and loss, has been called “half Red Dragon and half Flowers for Algernon.”
Two men... two methods... two motivations...one darkness. Step inside the twisted mind of a killer, and of the man determined to end him at any cost, as Tony Hooper and Mitchell Norton battle for supremacy with law enforcement always a step away. This story of justice and vengeance, evil and redemption, fear and courage, love and loss, has been called “halfRed Dragonand halfFlowers for Algernon.”
Kindle Book Review says of this multiple award winner: “Lane Diamond has succeeded in bringing to the surface the dark and horrifying mind of a psychotic serial killer, while at the same time bringing forth the desperate need for humanity and justice for the victims and their families.”
Excerpt:“Now mortality, as it did seventeen years ago, lingers above me like the hangman’s noose. Yet it looms more ominous than ever, as if it will drop down around my neck at any moment. After all, I know the true Mitchell Norton. And whom shall I fear if not the devil, the grim torturer who conquered my aspirations and left me without a recognizable world of my own?”
[Psychological Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Serial Killer, Vigilante Justice]
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. Or will FBI Special Agent Linda Monroe stop him? She owes him her life, so how can she possibly put an end to his?
Forgive Me, Alex by Lane Diamond
Evolved Publishing presents the first of the Tony Hooper novels, a multiple award-winning and critically-acclaimed look at what might happen to an ordinary guy when a monster destroys his world. Please watch for the second book, The Devil’s Bane, to release in late 2016.
Excerpt
Mitchell Norton, the man I've long considered 'the devil,' smiles atop the courthouse steps and waves to the simmering crowd. He tilts his head back to soak in the sunshine and cool breeze of the late spring day, the tranquility of which stands in stark contrast to the circumstances of this event.
The mere sight of him pushes me to the dark edge of my mind, where sanity hangs like... like... like a balloon in a tornado!
I stand in shadow across the street, one amongst many in the crowd of curiosity-hounds gathered to watch a monster's release. As my face blazes, fists clench and teeth grind, I can easily imagine the onset of a stroke, an aneurism, a pulmonary embolism, a raging scream—
'Control yourself, Tony!'
I long to charge across the street to destroy him—no remorse—as if stepping on a cockroach. Only sheer force of will prevents my doing so.
For seventeen years, I assumed this day would never come. How could they even consider releasing this vile creature, this very personification of evil?
In 1978, Norton murdered innocent kids who'd barely tasted of life. He tortured two of them beyond the limits of rational imagination, for to imagine such deeds was to summon a devilry that we dared not face. Yet the jury held him not responsible, a victim himself to the ravages of an illness that drove him to insanity beyond our reckoning.
He thus resides forever in the darkest pit of my psyche, chained to me in perpetuity. Now only two choices remain: I must cast off those chains, or yank them tight around his neck. Yes, I must obtain satisfaction. The idiotic jury seventeen years ago, and today's flawed court system, has left little recourse. No one else seems willing to deliver him to justice.
I am willing. After all, this is what I do. It's who I am. Indeed, 'the devil' himself made me into this hunter of monsters. What a sweet twist of fate this is, that I may still, finally, administer justice.
Professional Reviews
Kindle Book Review
Forgive Me, Alex is a deeply emotional spellbinding psychological thriller. The story is delivered through the eyes of Tony Hooper whose life was forever altered by the exploits of Mitchell Norton a serial killer released from a psychiatric hospital after 17 years. The story goes back and forth from 1978 to 1995 when Norton is released and reveals in horrific detail the events that contribute to the culmination of the story. Tony watches from afar as Norton gains his freedom and has justice in the form of revenge on his mind. When eerily similar murders are discovered in his town of Algonquin after Norton's release, Tony is even more determined to put a stop to the madness.
This story affords us a look into the mind of a serial killer and the tremendous strength of writing in this book makes that a terrifying experience. The writing is exceptional in that it propelled me into the story and into the minds of the main characters as well as keeping me totally fixated on the story.The suspense and tension is this story is very palpable and I found myself thinking about this story long after I had finished.
The main characters of Tony and Mitchell are painted with such fine precision and depth I could almost feel their presence while reading. The character of Frank Willow the adopted Grandfather of Tony and Alex is a richly defined character who contributes a great deal of emotion and compassion to the story. The other characters in this story are all unique and well defined and successfully contribute to the sentiment, understanding and underlying current of the story.
The small town setting of Algonquin, Illinois which is the backdrop for this story lends a great deal to the emotion and reality as you get a glimpse into small town America and the bonds that are forged with people who grew up and lived in these towns. It also brings to the forefront the horror and sorrow that result from the actions of one deranged individual upon a town full of people. This is also the story of what happens to families and friendships and the feeling of well-being that existed prior to such devastating realities.
Lane Diamond has succeeded in bringing to the surface the dark and horrifying mind of a psychotic serial killer while at the same time bringing forth the desperate need for humanity and justice for the victims and their families.
I highly recommend this for its powerful and gripping story line. You will be held in a spell that will keep you wanting more and find yourself totally drawn in.
Anne B. Chaconas
"I mean, shit, any knucklehead can be a writer, right?" muses one of the characters in Lane Diamond's nail-biter of a story, FORGIVE ME, ALEX. And, yes, any knucklehead can. But it takes a very special kind of knucklehead to put together a story the way Diamond has. FORGIVE ME, ALEX did something that a book has not done since Kristy and the Snobs (The Baby-sitters Club #11), where Kristy's family dog Louie had to be put to sleep: It made me cry. Damn you, Lane Diamond. Damn you to hell.
FORGIVE ME, ALEX is classified as a psychological suspense thriller, and suspense should really be bolded and italicized. There is a certain level of mastery a writer must possess in order to effectively build this kind of breathless expectation in a reader, and Diamond does just that, not only by switching us back and forth between 1978 (when the events that set everything in motion took place) and 1995 (the subsequent aftermath after the serial killer is released), but also by switching up narrative perspectives between our hero and antagonist. Although I was originally afraid all this moving about might harm the linearity of the tale, my fears were unfounded: The story developed and evolved brilliantly, and kept me turning the pages wanting more. More. More.
Diamond does in FORGIVE ME, ALEX what I wish more contemporary authors would do: He brings me right into the story, forcing me to identify with the characters. I didn't have a choice-I would feel Tony Hooper's wrath and need for revenge, I would wallow in Mitchell Norton's desperate inability to ward off his demons. I would cheer for Diana Gregorio's unbelievable ballsiness in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds. I would weep, shedding actual tears, for Alex Hooper's childhood.
FORGIVE ME, ALEX scared the living bejeesus out of me. I live in a small, sleepy town á la Algonquin, Illinois. It's a big deal if someone gets a new riding lawnmower. Could a Mitchell Norton be just around the corner (sorry, neighbors)? I have a daughter. She's trusting, wonderful, sweet-a little Alex Hooper. I projected onto this story in a way that astonished even me (mostly because I'm a jaded author type who reads with one eyebrow raised at all times). But even those living in sprawling metropolises without any children will identify with this story, because the way Tony Hooper reacts to the events of his life (and-poor Tony-he gets more than his fair share of awfulness) is incredibly relatable. Who, when faced with the destruction of life as he knows it, wouldn't long to mete out the justice he had so cruelly been denied? We all would. We might not have the cojones to go through with it, but we can certainly cheer Tony's decision to become the world's vigilante.
Probably the best part of FORGIVE ME, ALEX is that you think you know how it will all go-you think you know how everything will end. But you don't. All the signs point to one thing, and it's most decidedly another. It's half Red Dragon and half Flowers for Algernon-and any mix like that is bound to throw you a curveball or twelve. Even the last two chapters (which I could have done without, simply because I felt they took away from what was otherwise a very, very strong ending) kept right on making you do a double-take at the page.
A word of warning: When the author placed the disclaimer that this tale is not for children at the front of the book, he's not kidding. There are certain parts that are incredibly disturbing, and certain acts are described that are meant only for mature audiences. Know that when Diamond says he will take you on a trek into the mind of a serial killer, he means it-warts and all. FORGIVE ME, ALEX presents the truth of its story in excruciating detail, and it may present images that take a while to fade from your mind's eye.
As for my "absolute must" requirements in any book: I had no problem following the story. Although it jumped back and forth in time, the linearity within each time period was flawless, and the action was so well-developed that I had no problem keeping everything in mind and building upon it as I read. The editing was great, and the formatting was nearly perfect. FORGIVE ME, ALEX was a fantastic read, both in scope and execution.
Kudos, Lane Diamond. My teary, frightened self salutes you. Job well done.
Marie Borthwick
I have a sick fascination with serial killers. I'm not talking like so sick I want to date Jeffrey Dahmer or anything like that - I am not completely nutters! My sick fascination lies in my overwhelming desire to get into the head of serial killers - to find out what makes them tick.
I suppose this fascination is partly responsible for my going to university for a criminal justice degree, my wealth of grisly murder mysteries and my desire to watch horror gore (even though I can't stand blood in real life). My fascination with serial killers and their ilk make Lane Diamond's "Forgive Me, Alex" a more than perfect novel for curling up with my Kindle Fire.
The Cover
Lately I have been considering the cover more and more, its an important element when it comes to deciding to read a novel. The cover art for "Forgive Me, Alex" hit the money right on the mark. The gunshots, the blood, the peak of the newspaper article, the photo - it all ties elements of the overall story of Tony Hooper into a package that is beyond enticing.
The Story
The story is split between two time periods - 1978 when Mitchell Norton held court during his reign of terror and 1995 when Mitchell Norton is released upon society once again. There are many books out there that try to effectively "split perspective" in an effort to provide a unique experience for the reader. While a laudable ambition - few, if any (in my opinion), accomplish the goal they set out to conquer in any measurable manner.
Lane Diamond, he did it the right way. He was able to shift back and forth between 1978 and 1995 with such ease it never detracted from the story he was trying to tell and only added to the mystery of how things were going to turn out.
I appreciated the chance to "sit in the passenger seat" to Diamond's serial killer. While I will not make you groan by saying Diamond made a serial killer seem more human, less of a monster - his critical stroke of the pen provided a perspective that sketched out more defined dimensions of a character type that is so often seen as two dimensional and flat.
My Final Thoughts
I have actually read this story twice, yes twice! There are new things to discover each time you read it and I would encourage you to pick it up again, see what you can discover about Tony Hooper the second time around ... and see what you can maybe discover about yourself. I was able to understand my sick fascination with serial killers and horror gore a little better with the aide of "Forgive Me, Alex" - it is the only media representation of such a horrific character type that effectively goes beyond the curtain.
Initially I was bothered by what seemed to (me) the lack of depth of the female characters - one of the main ones being Agent Linda Monroe. However as the novel progressed, I saw the lack of depth less and less as a hindrance to the overall story and more as a representation of something Tony Hooper was grasping at to achieve.
Read if...
You like to read murder-centered stories.
You like to get behind the mind of the bad guy.
You like to know about the back story (just as much as the current story), the why of why things are happening the way they are.
You ever wanted to know what one of the more "sick" bad guys was thinking.
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