I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
TRIGGER WARNING: This book was sent to me to be reviewed weeks prior to the rash of mass shootings that have affected the United States in the last couple of weeks, including the Buffalo Tops Friendly Market store shooting and the Uvalde School Shooting. As the title suggests, this book deals with the topic of school shootings. As such, reader discretion is highly advised, and we offer our deepest condolences to the families and communities affected by these tragedies.
A group of students who hide from a mass shooter discovers that one of them is in fact the shooter in author Thorsten Nesch’s “School Shooter”.
The Synopsis
During a school shooting six highschool kids flee into the library of their school and barricade themselves, but it turns out one of them is the shooter …
The Review
For so many reasons, this was one of the more difficult novels I’ve read in recent months. The fear and anxiety that one can only imagine experiencing as a student stuck in such a life or death situation are captured here in the author’s work. The chilling nature of the atmosphere the author crafts really pulls readers into the narrative, while the character development was rich and well developed, with each character or “suspect” in the thriller adding depth and emotions into the narrative as readers try to figure out who is behind the heinous crime.
The theme and message of this narrative were no doubt the heart of the novel. The horrors of school shootings are something that has become more and more prevalent in recent years, and the emotional way the news hits so many of us as children become targets in places that should be a safe haven made this story feel monumentally more important now than ever before. The examination of how students interact with one another, the need for better mental health and social services to help students and end instances of bullying, and of course the terrible way gun laws enable people to access weapons that have no business accessing them, are all felt heavy as the narrative progresses.
The Verdict
Haunting, emotional, and thought-provoking, author Thorsten Nesch’s “School Shooter” is an important and memorable read for those who want a balance of thriller fiction with discussions around how students are cared for and how to best utilize gun control laws to end the frequency of these shootings. The author’s ability to bring readers into the narrative and feel the pressure and emergency of the situation the novel presents will have readers invested in this narrative heavily. If you haven’t yet, be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
Thorsten Nesch is an award-winning author published in traditional publishing houses with more than 1,500 live readings in a dozen countries at schools, universities, book fairs and on cruise ships. He received literary arts grants and was invited for writer’s residencies in H.A.L.D. Denmark and LeseLenz, Hausach, Germany.
He was born in Solingen, Germany. 1998 to 2003 he lived in Canada. 2004 to 2013 in Leverkusen, Germany. Since 2014 in Lethbridge, Alberta. Permanent Resident in Canada.
“His style is a stroke of luck“, Jury of Hans-im-Glück-Award.
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