Justice or Vengeance?
“This book has an aura . . . very similar to that of Pulp Fiction or the newly acclaimed movie, Crash. We don’t want to give any more of it away. Read it and you’ll find yourself with plenty to think about.”
--Anne Kersten, Twist and Shout.
Ft. Lauderdale, july 2006: On March 15, 2006, Joseph Smith was condemned to death in Sarasota, FL for the rape and murder of 11-year-old Carlie Brucia. Most people hearing this news want to do something—anything—maybe even kill the killer. Yet, despite the horror of this crime, what will that accomplish? It will not bring this child back to life, nor will it erase the damage done to her family, her friends, her school, city, or country. A week later, on March 22, 2006, Texas executed its 1015th death row inmate. Yet, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2004, “the South, which has carried out more than 80% of all U.S. executions, [still has] the nation's highest murder rate, 6.6%.” The death penalty is not a deterrent to murder.
On the one hand, when we hear of these terrible crimes, we say “yes, murderers like Joseph Smith should die,” but on the other, we must question our motives. If the death penalty is not a deterrent, do we simply, as a society, take revenge and call it justice, or is there something more?
Deborah Greenspan’s latest novel, Deterrent, asks these and other questions: What would happen if someone you love were brutally tortured and killed? Would the killer’s death be enough, or would you want revenge? James Farrell, D.A., is torn apart by the politics of the Eye-for-an-Eye law and his conscience. As his and other lives unravel in its wake, Eye-for-an-Eye uncovers the beast lurking beneath the trappings of civilization and law. How far can we go to punish killers without becoming them? How do we separate vengeance from justice?
Described by readers as “thought-provoking” and “believable,” Deterrent provides a disturbing look at society, its predators, victims, and legal system. The reader meets people on both sides of the law, and as the tale unfolds, makes his own determination. Since 1973, 123 people in 25 states have been released from death row upon evidence of their innocence. What if more innocent people are waiting to die? What if they can’t appeal, a possibility that has become a fact in the newly authorized Patriot Act? The death penalty is an issue with no easy answers, and it won’t go away. Deterrent’s strength is its ability to show us the results of our thinking in fiction that is based on fact.
When Scott L. Van Gundy came to Deborah Greenspan, author of Deterrent, with the premise for the story, she researched the issue in depth and carried the possibilities to the limit. She is the author of four other books: Mirror Mirror, The Healer, and Kids’ Day, all of which explore social issues through fiction, as well as Spirals: The Connection, a book on mysticism and the nature of reality. As an author, Deborah has made it her mission to educate through fiction; as a publisher, she helps authors improve their work and get their books into print and out into the world. She can be contacted through her website at www.llumina.com.
Title: Deterrent
Author: Deborah Greenspan, based on a story by Scott L. Van Gundy
ISBN: 1-59526-491-4
Size: 6 x 9
180 pages
Paperback
Price: $14.95