With Full Malice by Brenda HillMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
“She aimed for his heart and pulled the trigger. Blood sprayed from a blackened hole in his shirt and he staggered backward. The pistol recoiled, but she stepped forward and fired a second time, knocking him off his feet. Bending over his sprawled form, she fired again, putting a round through his temple.” – With Full Malice
This is the second Brenda Hill novel I’ve read. I enjoyed this one even more – it’s not quite as intense as Ten Times Guilty and the reading is effortless, the writing more assured.
Hill’s strength is her character development. The author explains it best when she says she writes about women in crisis, celebrating the inner strength women sometimes forget they possess. And it’s this growth that we see with Maddy Young, haunted by the murder of her parents when she was only six years old and the promise the killer made to return for her. I cared as much for Maddy as her grandmother and Detective Dexter Quinn did.
If you’re looking for a fast, easy read that packs a punch, then I highly recommend With Full Malice.
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Despite what movies would have us think, bullets don't knock people off their feet. Bullets go right through you, causing very little in the way of any force that could knock you off your feet. When shot, one falls over either from the fact that one is suddenly dead, or from blood loss as the body takes over and forces you to pass out--it's easier for the heart to pump blood when at the bottom of the gravity well (the ground) rather than trying to pump it around a vertical tower.
ReplyDeleteI have pals who have been shot. They all have told me that the bullets passed right through them and they felt either nothing (waking up in hospital) or only "a sting" (this from a guy who was shot with an AK-47 in Viet Nam when he was in the Marines--two different times).
If one is going to write about smaller caliber bullets and such, do some research that wasn't gleaned from watching a movie.
Many thanks for visiting my blog, James.
DeleteI must admit factual inaccuracies in fiction irk me too, but in this case because I was unaware of the faux pas (as you say, too much TV), it didn't detract from the story.
Unfortunately, I doubt the author will see your comment. Many thanks, however, for enlightening me and readers of this blog.
Hi Vicki, I enjoy reading favorite author blogs, and I just read this comment.
ReplyDeleteTo HemlockMan, I don't know if you read the book or if you're commenting on Vicki's excerpt, but I do thorough research in my work. Someone I consider an expert - D.J. Stephens, ten years military service, Airborne Ranger, Sniper & Small Arms - went over the process of firing and hitting an intended victim with me several times, so I stand by my description. If it's inaccurate, then I didn't interpret his explanations correctly, but it should be close.
Thank you for taking the time to comment. And thanks, Vicki, for your review and excerpt.
Brenda Hill