The Surrogate Vigilante Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars A natural story teller
By Ignite (East Yorkshire, UK) - (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)
I have only just discovered Beverley Carter and she is a natural story teller. This novella places us in something of a moral maze. It asks us how we would react if given the chance to right a judicial wrong. The protagonist is given this opportunity and right to the very end we don't know if he will do it or bottle out. I don't want to give anything away but I'll say that the ending was a complete surprise but in the most satisfying of ways.
I often feel that the short story or novella is a difficult thing to get right. Either a thin story-line is stretched out too far or in order to complete the tale, the characters are insufficiently fleshed out. In both the novellas I have read by Beverley Carter, she has struck the balance and produced a finely crafted book. I look forward to reading more from her.
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing - Raises questions you'll think about afterwards
By Kenny
The vigilante setting right the perceived wrongs in society is a popular theme, because we all on occasion feel enraged when an obviously guilty criminal is set free on a technicality, or given a ludicrously short sentence. The overwhelming feeling of injustice, and the need for some form of retribution, is within us all. "He should be shot for what he did", and so on, is the common reaction in many such cases, and that's just the stuff you read about in the papers.
But what if it's closer to home, and you're personally involved? Could you, given the opportunity, exact the vengeance/retribution/justice that the courts failed to deliver?
This is a short story about an ordinary man who has suffered a very close loss, and who has to answer that very question. Well worth passing an hour or so reading. Although this is a short story it seems to leave the door open for something longer, perhaps. Look forward to more from this author.