Today it is my turn on the BlogTour for Kid to Killer by Paul Elliott. It is the story of a boy with a strong sense of justice, which evolves into vigilantism. One could argue that one man's justice is another man's murder.
About the Author
Paul Elliott, born in Edinburgh in 1974 is the creator and writer of the book Paul McGraw: Kid To Killer which is available now on the kindle store
Having grown up in some of the roughest areas of Edinburgh and leaving Wester Hailes Education Centre after year one with no qualifications, he joined the army as a junior officer at 15 years old but very quickly realised it wasn't for him.
Paul then moved onto being a nightclub bouncer, debt collector, personal security provider and car dealer before trying his hand at writing a novel.
Twitter @EdinburghAuthor
Facebook: Paul Elliott/Author
About the book
A fifteen year old boy sees it as his duty to rid Edinburgh of the scum that prey on the innocent people of the city. He finds that to punish the guilty he must first face fear,loss and betrayal.
He will soon discover things aren't always as they seem, and there are other people who have uses for a young killer as well as bigger forces at play.
Review
A fifteen year old kid, who believes he can solve the problems of the world or at least those of Edinburgh by taking out dangerous criminals one at a time. A belief born out of having to learn how to survive in a dog eat dog world, and a world full of bullies.
I am fairly certain that the idea of being a vigilante and dispersing of all the dangerous elements of society aka kill them, is one which passes through quite a few minds occasionally, then again that might just be me. The most obvious danger in that is who decides which criminal is on the hit-list, and how do you decide. I would think it would be an easy decision to kill rapists, serial killers, child molesters and mass killers, but who draws the line and where? Who decides which crime fits the ultimate definitive punishment?
The argument is similar to for and against the death penalty. What happens if you kill an innocent person, does an eye for an eye really equate to real justice? I won't weigh in with my personal opinion on vigilantism or the death penalty. Justice systems are flawed, which is how murderers end up on back on the street and killing again, and also how many innocent men and women spend decades behind bars.
In this scenario you also have to wonder who is being put on the hit-list by whom and why. Is there some ulterior motive behind specific names. More importantly what makes the self-appointed vigilante more able or knowledgeable to make those choices.
Elliott presents a premise quite a few readers will nod their heads at, but there will also be a lot of shaking of heads. In that sense it will create discussion and debate. It is the story of a boy with a strong sense of justice, which evolves into vigilantism. One could argue that one man's justice is another man's murder. It could do with a little polish and smoothing of the edges, but I expect that will come with a honing of skills. Kid to Killer is the first in the series, so it will be interesting to see where the author takes this vigilante.
Buy Paul McGraw: Kid to Killer at Amazon Uk or go to Goodreads for any other retailer.
Pub. date 2nd June 2018
Great post Cheryl. Thanks so much x
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