Pinned: A Kentucky True Crime

Pinned: A Kentucky True Crime by Charles W. Massie

This is a bleak and dismal story of a man named Mark Casey.

Mark, who is from New York, meets a woman named Roxie on the internet. As time progresses, they continue chatting, he finds that Roxie shares many of the same interests and has the ideal outlook on life; they are even similar in age.

Since Mark doesn't have the usual work obligations tying him down to one place, he and Roxie decide to test the waters at Roxie's home in Kentucky. A whirlwind romance ensues. They travel the local sites together, have rabid sex and fall in love. Everything seems to come together as the happy couple decide to live in Roxie's beautiful home.

Of course, nothing stays the same. After relocating his life to Kentucky, and their relationship declining into an abysmal failure, Mark is accused of a major crime.

Everything that could go wrong, does.

Though I understand, perhaps, the thought process behind creating such a story, the execution fell a bit short; encompassing unnecessary moments of banality. That said, the author did succeed in transferring the feelings of desperation and hopeless anger that the main character rightfully exuded.

It's Nothing Personal

I finished this book as my son finally began to recover from his cold. He's happy and munching cookies now, so we're back to business as usual.

It's Nothing Personal by Kate O'Reilley

Only, there's nothing usual about this book. 

The story is about Jenna Reiner, a doctor who becomes the target of a massive malpractice lawsuit that has not only ruined her unblemished career and reputation, but threatens the very fiber of her existence. Due to the actions of a drug addled, demented hospital worker who decides to infect everyone with Hepatitis C, Jenna finds herself at the center of a media frenzy that has made her a monster overnight. 

As her entire existence begins to unravel at an alarming rate, Jenna is faced with a choice. Does she lie down and accept her situation, or does she fight back? She looks to her husband and daughter for emotional grounding. Though she may have been victimized, she chooses not to be a victim.

This is a horrifying and realistic situation that causes the reader to think upon his or her own life. How safe is anyone in their current situation? What if you woke up tomorrow morning to a different world of spiteful recriminations and lunacy? 

There is no winner in the abomination of justice or in the awful pandemonium clearly displayed by the talented writing of Kate O'Reilley. There is no happily ever after. Life will always go on, but one person's thoughtless actions cause a tremendous ripple effect hurting countless people. The scars incurred from being subjected to the action or inaction of the people around us will last forever.

Kate O'Reilley has done an amazing job personifying human nature, along with the degradation of humanity itself. It's Nothing Personal is a compelling story that will captivate even the toughest critics. I recommend that you set aside some time before jumping into this book, you won't want to put it down.