Fountain of Wisdom  Posts: 5,054 Joined: Aug 2010 Thanked 5 times What I Read
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The discussion of Gray Justice by Alan McDermott is now open.
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb
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Fountain of Wisdom Posts: 5,054 Joined: Aug 2010 Thanked 5 times What I Read
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RE: Bookclub: The discussion of Gray Justice (contains spoilers)What a book! No wonder people who had read it already were raving about it. It is an edge of your seat page turner, one of those books where you have your Kindle with you everywhere so that you can just read another couple of pages inbetween whatever else you are doing. It has some very interesting moral dilemmas and made me think about what choices I would have made had it happened in real life. I didn't warm to Tom Gray, but I still found myself on his side, wanting him to "win". Taking the law into your own hands when the system lets you down is something that probably appeals - at least in theory - to a lot of people. Spoiler Great book - thank you Alan. I really look forward to this discussion getting going. A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb
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Junior Member  Posts: 17 Joined: Jul 2011 Thanked 0 times What I Read
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RE: Bookclub: The discussion of Gray Justice (contains spoilers) I was really sympathetic towards Tom, I kept thinking how I would react if something happened to my kids and I don't know if I would be strong enough to try and change society or if I would just collapse in a heap. I Spoiler Still it all worked out for the best, and paved the way for a sequel, which I will be downloading as soon as my wife lets me have my kindle back  .All in all a fantastic book which I am really glad I read. |
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Fountain of Wisdom Posts: 5,054 Joined: Aug 2010 Thanked 5 times What I Read
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RE: Bookclub: The discussion of Gray Justice (contains spoilers)
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb
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Official KUF Reviewer and Interrogator Posts: 4,581 Joined: Feb 2011 Thanked 16 times What I Read
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RE: Bookclub: The discussion of Gray Justice (contains spoilers)I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. You think you are on one path, then there's the introduction of a few new characters and you wonder how they fit in, then when you do find out, you're "O.M.G., I never saw that coming" I did actually mention this book in work, when I had just gone through "day 1". His choices were a bit harsh, though - live or die. But I feel I'd like the government to read this book and have a good think about serial offenders. Not quite the same, but there was an episode of an American law drama (think it was Harry's Law), whereby a criminal had committed 2 crimes, but had to be tried for both completely seperately and there could be no mention of the other one, which made a mockery of the victim being scared of the criminal. Please put a bowl of water out for hedgehogs and other night-time visitors, you might just save their life.
While you are at it, feed the birds too.  And come and talk about it at Garden Wildlife Forum |
Super Moderator Posts: 2,986 Joined: Mar 2011 Thanked 24 times What I Read
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RE: Bookclub: The discussion of Gray Justice (contains spoilers)I can't wait to find some more time later on to read the few chapters of the story.
Only happy when I am immersed in a good Kindle book
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Member Posts: 82 Joined: Apr 2012 Thanked 4 times What I Read
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RE: Bookclub: The discussion of Gray Justice (contains spoilers)The ideas put forward in the book about repeat offenders are extremely interesting but harsh. Would it work? I for one don't know!!!! |
Keyboard Worrier Posts: 920 Joined: Nov 2011 Thanked 24 times What I Read
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RE: Bookclub: The discussion of Gray Justice (contains spoilers)A fast-paced, easy read that swept me along. I suspect there are plot aspects that wouldn't stand up to close scrutiny, but I was content to keep the blinkers on and gallop through to the end. One very minor point: I'd have to disagree with joo - I spotted half-a-dozen typos, none of which spoiled my enjoyment in the slightest. Well done, Alan. I'm looking forward to reading the sequel. Barry |
![[Image: 51ZhtjNV5SL._SL95.jpg]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZhtjNV5SL._SL95.jpg)
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Posting Freak Posts: 621 Joined: May 2011 Thanked 1 times What I Read
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RE: Bookclub: The discussion of Gray Justice (contains spoilers)This post was last modified: 14 May 2012 04:42 PM by Notoriety.
This was never going to be “my genre” what with the fascination with the SAS, guns and other things that go bang which attract a wide and enthusiastic readership. Plus the obligatory final shoot out and gore fest – more Gray’s Anatomy than Gray Justice. The exceptionally brutal rape scene might find its aficionados, but not here. I have to admit that the ingenious plot twists and the pacing gave the book a tremendous sense of tension. I could live with having made a wrong book choice but for the major theme of vigilantism with fatal public vote-offs with what was really a rather pathetic bunch of petty and annoying criminal recidivists. I can’t imagine that whatever the British public might think about current UK penal policy they would take to heart someone who publicly executed a prisoner live on the internet and even more threatened countless thousands of innocent people with extermination. So the possibility of them turning out in force to demonstrate in favour of Gray is to my mind at least rather unlikely. Initially I thought the revenge/political theme was the central plank of the book but then it became clearer that it was the resolution of the stake-out and the intervention of the terrorists/cannon-fodder. The author does however articulate well an undercurrent of anger and powerlessness over sentencing policy that is fairly often promoted in the popular prints. Sometimes this verges on the irrational and murderous, but at least Gray can be thoughtful. He worries hugely about the cost of his prison building programme but his back of envelope plans to recoup the costs from his prisoners’ “wages” seem unlikely unless they are on bankers’ salaries, which I suspect he may not approve of. Also Gray’s attempt to plea-bargain his way out of rather more serious charges such as murder, false imprisonment and terrorism rather undermines the firm consistent justice case that he seeks to alert politicians to. Unfortunately here as pretty much everywhere the debate about sentencing is conducted poorly on both sides of the argument. The question raised already in the thread of "what would we do in Gray's situation" is of course particularly interesting, but Gray seems not to have had that conversation with himself let alone with us. So I am now getting out my now traditional tin hat though whether it will be sufficient protection against a Regiment-approved Heckler and Koch TL337 semi-automatic assault weapon with the Zeiss ‘Deadeye’ laser sniper sight, I rather doubt. (I made that last bit up.) Tony Arab proverb: Only a fool lends his books and only a fool returns them.
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Fountain of Wisdom Posts: 5,054 Joined: Aug 2010 Thanked 5 times What I Read
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RE: Bookclub: The discussion of Gray Justice (contains spoilers)
A book is like a garden carried in the pocket. ~Chinese Proverb
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