Review of "A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy" by Sue Klebold

Sue and Tom Klebold's son - Dylan Klebold - was one of the Columbine High School shooters. On April 20, 1999 Dylan and his friend Eric Harris brought explosives and guns to school, apparently planning to cause mass carnage by blowing up the building. The bombs failed to go off but the boys did roam the school spraying bullets; they killed 12 students and a teacher, wounded 24 others, and then committed suicide.


Dylan Klebold


Eric Harris


Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris roaming the halls of Columbine High School with firearms

Sue Klebold starts this memoir by taking us through that day from her point of view. Alerted by a phone call that there were shootings at Columbine High School Sue was stunned and frightened - and like most parents - worried about her child. Was he shot? Was he injured? Was he dead? Then, learning that her son was actually one of the shooters, Sue's world fell apart. Disbelief! Shock! Horror! How could Dylan do such a thing! This couldn't be true! It must be a mistake!.


Grief at Columbine High School

But it wasn't a mistake and the police descended on the Klebold home to search for bombs and guns (the police found nothing). Meanwhile, Sue, Tom, and their oldest son Byron numbly wandered around their driveway, unable to take it in. An aggressive press and a furious public made it necessary for the Klebolds to take refuge in the home of relatives with a different last name. There they succumbed to confusion, grief, guilt, depression....the gamut of emotions anyone would feel at such a time.


Sue Klebold


Tom Klebold


Byron Klebold

Though Sue and Tom had to accept that Dylan was a Columbine shooter they remained in denial, convincing themselves that Dylan had been coerced or hoodwinked into participating; or perhaps his mind had suddenly snapped. Then, four months after the massacre the police showed Sue and Tom videos made by the boys. The films clearly showed that Dylan and Eric had carefully planned the attack and that Dylan was an active and willing participant. After this devastating blow Sue could barely go on.




Dylan Klebold made videotapes

For legal reasons (the Klebolds were being sued by the victims' families) Sue couldn't even join a support group or confide in friends and family - out of concern that anyone she spoke to might be called to testify. Thus Sue's life became even more difficult and circumscribed. She returned to her job as a college counselor for disabled students, but could barely concentrate on her work. Sue became depressed and anxious, lost a lot of weight, developed breast cancer, and started having panic attacks. Sue also grieved deeply - both for her beloved son and his victims - and at one point wanted to die herself.


Sue Klebold

After the massacre, realizing she had not known how depressed and suicidal (and perhaps mentally ill) Dylan was, Sue made it her business to educate herself. She read widely, did research, and interviewed experts about mental illness, mass shootings, murder/suicides, school bullying, gun availability, and so on....to try to make sense out of Dylan's actions.


Sue Klebold

Four years after the shootings the Klebolds were deposed by attorneys and the lawsuits were settled. Now free to talk about the incident Sue eventually decided to write this memoir. She wanted people to understand that Dylan had grown up a happy child in a loving home; that he had seemed like a perfectly normal teenager - close to his family but a bit difficult and uncooperative (which in hindsight were warning signs); and that she had absolutely no clue that he was capable of such violent destructive behavior. Sue also wanted to make people aware that their own children might be troubled and suffering without showing obvious external clues. Sue's overall aim: to help prevent such tragedies in the future.


Sue Klebold and Dylan


Sue Klebold and Dylan


Dylan Klebold seemed like a happy child

I think many people who read this book will empathize with Sue Klebold. Anyone who's raised a teenager knows that adolescents can be rebellious and hard to live with, but they almost never commit horrible atrocities. I guess the lesson is to make every effort to REALLY know your children - and get them help if they need it.

I don't agree with people who deride this book as a self-serving apologia and an attempt to wriggle away from blame. With the very best of intentions parents can make mistakes - but even so, they're not necessarily responsible for what their kids do. I also applaud the fact that the book's profits are being donated for mental health research.

I think this is a good honest book, worth reading.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Review of "The English Spy: A Gabriel Allon Thriller" by Daniel Silva

In this 15th book in the 'Gabriel Allon' series, the Israeli spy is hunting the bombmaker Quinn, who is responsible for the death of his family and the bombing of a British royal entourage. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Israeli spy/art restorer Gabriel Allon is about to become the father of twins and the head of the Israeli spy agency when a British princess and her entourage are blown up.



The perpetrator is Quinn, the expert bomb-maker Gabriel deems ultimately responsible for the death of his first wife and child. So Gabriel goes back into the field with the goal of finding and killing Quinn.



Gabriel teams up with Keller, an AWOL British soldier and skilled assassin - soon to be an agent of MI6 - and they're off on a multi-country adventure. Before long Gabriel and Keller are lured to the site of a major bombing and Gabriel is 'killed' (wink wink) which might just lower the guard of the bad guys.

The story has a variety of interesting characters including a beautiful Russian agent who bedded the British Prime Minister - and was later sprung out of Russia by Gabriel; 

Angry revenge-seeking Russians; 

A cell of the Irish Republican Army (IRA);



A double-dealing Iranian;



A British mole; and so on.



There's an interesting rivalry between the heads of MI5 and MI6, who have to work together but willingly sabotage each other when things go awry.



During the course of the story the reader gets a seemingly authentic and fascinating peek into spycraft, running agents, exposing double agents, prying information out of people (Jack Bauer style) and more. This kind of thing is always fun to experience vicariously (well maybe not the torture).

This is a well-crafted, fast-paced story that kept my attention from the first page to the last. Highly recommended to fans of espionage thrillers.

Rating: 4 stars

Review of "By Its Cover: A Commissario Guido Brunetti Mystery" by Donna Leon

In this 23rd book in the 'Commissario Guido Brunetti' series, the Italian policeman investigates the destruction of valuable old manuscripts and the murder of a former priest. The mystery can be read as a standalone.



*****

The Biblioteca Merula in Venice has experienced a terrible desecration: a number of valuable old books have been stolen and others have had pages cut out.



When Commissario Guido Brunetti investigates, Dottoressa Fabbiani - the chief librarian - tells him an American scholar, Dr. Joseph Nickerson, had been reading the cut up books.



Brunetti also learns that another ardent reader, former priest Aldo Franchini, has been coming to the library for years to read 'Fathers of the Church'.



Before long Brunetti discovers that Nickerson's credentials were falsified and that Franchini has been murdered. He also learns that book theft has become rampant in the country, with valuable tomes disappearing from libraries across Italy.



While investigating the murder and thefts Brunetti learns a bit about obsessive collectors, greedy villains, and certain members of the Italian aristocracy. As always his boss's fashionable secretary, Signorina Elettra, provides valuable computer assistance as well as a touch of humor.



Much of the charm of Donna Leon's books lie in the ambiance, including snippets about Venice - the canals and cafés, and Brunetti's warm interactions with his children and wife Paola - a scholar, teacher, and excellent cook. Paola's delicious meals are one of the highlights of the series. 💕





Brunetti and his team conduct their investigation and solve the crime in an efficient manner, but without much excitement. This is a mildly entertaining quick read with familiar likable characters.

Rating: 3 stars

Review of "Corridors of the Night: A William Monk Mystery" by Anne Perry

In this 21st book in the "William Monk" series, set in the mid-18oos, an unscrupulous doctor is using extremely unethical procedures. This leads to a trial that raises interesting issues about medical research. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Hester Monk honed her considerable nursing skills during the bloody Crimean War, where she worked alongside legendary Florence Nightingale. Years later Hester is married to Commander William Monk of the Thames River Police and running a women's clinic/shelter in London.



As the book opens Hester is temporarily substituting for a friend at the London Royal Naval Hospital when she comes across three young siblings (Mike, Charlie, and Maggie - ranging in age from 4 to 7) living in the hospital annex. Charlie is on the brink of death and Hester nurses him back to health. She then promises to check in on the youngsters periodically. Hester doesn't seem to question what the kids are doing there, presumably because nurses at the time garnered little respect; they were supposed to shut their mouths and do their jobs.



The basic plot of the story revolves around two hospital honchos, Magnus Rand - a physician, and his brother Hamilton Rand - a chemist. The Rands, seeking a cure for the deadly "white blood disease" (leukemia), are treating patients with blood transfusions. However, this is the mid-1800s and medical science is unaware of different blood types, etc. Thus, the transfusions are more likely to kill the patients than cure them.

As the story proceeds, middle-aged wealthy arrogant Bryson Radnor, suffering from white blood disease, becomes a patient at the hospital. The Rand brothers ask Hester to nurse Radnor while they administer their blood transfusion treatment - which seems to help him.



It turns out the Rands are using the blood of the annex children which - for reasons the brothers don't understand - can be successfully transfused into anyone. (Note: It would now be known the children are universal donors with type O blood).

When Hester realizes the children are being systematically bled she raises a ruckus. Immediately afterward Heather is abducted and finds herself and the children imprisoned in a remote house where Hamilton Rand, determined to perfect the transfusion procedure, is treating Radnor. Hester, being a dedicated nurse, feels compelled to assist despite the circumstances. Hester knows, however, that Hamilton Rand - who is committing some big crimes - will eventually kill her and the children to avoid exposure.

Meanwhile, Commander Monk (Hester's husband) and his team are desperately trying to find Hester. Along the way they learn that the kids - Mike, Charlie, and Maggie - were sold to the Rands by their destitute parents, who thought they were going to a good home.

Eventually all this leads to a trial where Hamilton Rand is the defendant. Attorney Oliver Rathbone, who once proposed marriage to Hester, helps prosecute. The trial raises some interesting issues, including the need for experimentation to advance medical science. There are plenty of ethical considerations here, including buying children and using human subjects without appropriate disclosure and consent.



The book has an interesting premise but moves too slowly and gets boring in places. On the plus side it has some interesting - though despicable - characters. Hamilton Rand and Bryan Radnor are self-centered, misogynists who treat women (including Hester, whose help they desperately need) as being beneath them and not deserving of respect. This kind of thing is a trademark of Anne Perry's mysteries, where class and socio-economic distinctions are always prominent. I assume this is a realistic depiction of the times but it always irritates me.

All in all, this is a moderately compelling book, with some favorite characters that recur in the series. The story's not too deep or complicated, so it's an easy read.

Rating: 3 stars