The story of a man driven by injustice to seek revenge in the most appropriate way his imagination can devise. His quest for retribution takes the form of a vendetta against the corporate world, a target he considers to be legitimate in the light of what the corporate world did to him. He exacts his reprisal, not caring on which side of the law he operates.
Suitable Vengeance is a story of cold, calculated revenge. It follows the life of a fictional character Colin Harris whose father is killed in an industrial accident and whose employers refuse to compensate Colin's mother for the loss of her husband and bread winner. The circumstances of the accident are manipulated so that the company's directors evade all blame. Colin is determined to get his revenge on the corporate world and sets out with the declared purpose of obtaining suitable vengeance. The various scams and frauds he perpetrates on his quest make interesting and plausible reading, but the reader is advised "not to try this at home!"
Excerpt
‘Let me tell you how they work, mom. I’ve heard this from more than one of the guys at uni. When there’s an upturn in the market and sales increase, the employees are expected to work extra hours during the week and at the weekends, never mind how that affects their home lives. If you ask the directors about it they will tell you that ‘those people’ like the overtime because of the extra pay. Sure, the extra pay is welcome compared to the pittance most of them get paid, but what about the hours that they planned to spend with their family or the relaxation time to spend on their sports or hobbies. That is irrelevant! If an employee says he doesn’t want to work overtime on a particular day, maybe his kid’s birthday, he is marked down as a troublemaker or as a lazy bastard! I’ve heard of Muslims who have to go Mosque at noon on Fridays. They are quite prepared to work on Saturday or Sunday, but Friday from noon is a special religious time for them. Do the directors care? No way! They are branded troublemakers. Don’t offer them any overtime in the future! Exclude them from any future possibility of advancement. Those Muslims are nothing but trouble anyway, they say!’
‘As soon as the market turns down as it inevitably does, the words to be heard around the corridors of business are “downsizing and retrenchment”! Protect the bottom line. Reduce the headcount. Get rid of employees! Never mind the years of loyal service to the company. If I want loyalty I’ll get a dog! Get shot of them! Don’t worry about what happens to them, because ‘those people’ can look after themselves.’
‘If you work for a corporation it’s a case of heads you lose, tails you lose! The average working man whether he is a fitter or store-man or forklift driver has absolutely no power in the work situation. The Trades Union are supposed to be on the side of the workers, but are they really? When they ballot for a strike and the men withhold their labour does the Union Representative also lose his wages? Not a damn! He is as fat and happy as the directors in the boardroom!’
‘Well, what I am going to do is to take them at their word and look after myself and ourselves! Whatever it takes and however I need to bend the rules or break the law, I am going to look after number one at their cost! I will steal from the company if there is something to steal! I will lie to my boss and to my colleagues if I can gain an advantage and make some money. I will cheat on the management if I can find a way to cheat them.’
‘My first priority is to get a job that will bring in enough money for us to live on, but once I have achieved that, I will find a way to get even with the corporate world. I now consider company directors to be fair game and I declare the hunting season to be open!’
In June, 2000, two college students — Amy Shute and Jason Burgeson — were approached by a group of men. Forced into the backseat and driven to a remote location, they were murdered in cold blood.
Following this brutal double homicide, Johnston, RI D
