The thriller novel "After
Shock" by Andrew Vachss exposes a rape ring in high school and the gives
reason for killing.
The dark arts of deceit and
manipulation are fostered in the club Ko Khai, an exclusive club for guys with
no morals and who are incapable of feeling no remorse. "After Shock," released in June is
a bit long, but its originality and intense subject matter keeps the reader
interested.
Mary Lou McCoy, known as Mighty
Mary because of her strong pitching arm shoots the most popular guy in the
school to death, Cameron Taft. McCoy, an 18-year-old with a bright future, a
full scholarship to a prominent college due to her pitching prowess on the
softball field is suddenly in jail facing life in prison or the death sentence.
There is no mystery from the start
as to whether or not McCoy shot Taft to death. Even the reasoning is revealed
relatively early in the book. McCoy was never raped, but Taft, the ring leader
of the rape club Ko Khai was dating McCoy's 13-year-old sister Danielle.
Danielle is extremely smart
but highly delusional in her choice to date Taft. Mary Lou even beats her
little before she killed Taft. I laughed when people said it was mean of Mary
Lou to beat up her little sister, but it was noted Lou did not use her strong
pitching arm when she hit her little sister.
Bradley Swift, Mary Lou's lawyer
never argues that she didn't kill Taft in cold blood with a .22 pistol, yet
still makes a compelling case for her to be set free. It is discovered the guys
of Ko Khai including Taft raped 39 girls, many of them under 14-years-old.
Anyone who reads this novel
and doesn’t yearn for Mary Lou’s freedom has no conscience. Legally she is a
murder, but can Swift justify morality with actual law?
The characters could have had more
flare in their personalities and the story dragged a bit, but overall it's a
three star read. Author Vachss is a lawyer who represents children and youths exclusively. He has written more than two dozen books.
