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About the Book:

Ask Him Why by Catherine Ryan Hyde

Ruth and her little brother, Aubrey, are just teenagers when their older brother ships off to Iraq. When Joseph returns, uninjured, only three and a half months later, Ruth is happy he is safe but also deeply worried. How can it be that her courageous big brother has been dishonorably discharged for refusing to go out on duty? Aubrey can’t believe that his hero doesn’t have very good reasons.

Yet as the horrifying details of the incident emerge, Joseph disappears. In their attempts to find him, Ruth and Aubrey discover he has a past far darker than either of them could imagine. But even as they learn more about their brother, important questions remain unanswered—why did he betray his unit, his country, and now his family? Joseph’s refusal to speak ignites a fire in young Aubrey that results in a disastrous, and public, act of rebellion.

The impact of Joseph’s fateful decision one night in Baghdad will echo for years to come, with his siblings caught between their love for him and the media’s engulfing frenzy of judgment. Will their family ever make their way back to each other and find a way to forgive?

My Thoughts:

I found this book on Amazon as a recommendation based on my previous search history. To be very frank, the synopsis caught my attention and I must admit, upon completing the book, I was simply blown away. This is an amazingly written book highlighting the bonds between siblings, the horrors faced in a war and the kind of scars left behind.

First off I will start with the style of writing. IT IS AMAZING. This is a moving, emotional roller coaster of a story. Joseph, the eldest of three is shipped off to Iraq and returns only months later. Ruth and her little brother Aubrey, still early teenagers at this stage struggle to understand the situation. Brought up in a family where one cannot ask questions, and nothing is discussed, they learn to keep shut. They do not know the importance of communication and sharing what is on their mind. This is something the children come to learn in time.

The parents are dealing with the repercussion of Joseph’s return, the press is sensationalizing the story, and the world has already decided his fate. He is due for a dishonorable discharge, but this turns into something far worse due to the deaths of two of his former squad mates. His choices set in motion a series of events that tugs apart at the very thin thread that binds his family together.

As the story progresses, Joseph turns himself in and goes to prison. His siblings are left wondering what happened and questioning his courage. His younger brother Aubrey, feels betrayed that his brother does not even want to see him and speaks out against him in public. The lack of communication allows a monster of hate to grow inside him which he carries for the next 9 -10 years. Ruth and Aubrey reach out to their aunt for help in trying to understand what’s happening. In all this, we meet Hamish, a wonderful person, who helps put things in perspective.

The story follows the siblings as they learn to deal with their feelings, confront each other, talk and thus find each other. The story teaches us to ask questions, to seek for the answers before making a judgement call, to think before one acts. This is a wonderfully written book and will tug at your heart strings in more ways than you can imagine. It teaches the reader so many lessons that I highly recommend this book to everyone. Thank you Catherine for writing this wonderful story.

About the Book:

From school bullies to the crime-ridden streets of his hometown of Los Angeles, Jeremy Riker has always felt the need to do something about the injustice surrounding him. Just as he sets out on his journey as an urban warrior, he unknowingly gives rise to an obsessive adversary, who ends up becoming one of the most notorious serial killers the city has ever known. Dubbed by the news media as The Spyderco Killer, the methodical psychopath roots himself deep into Riker’s life for the long haul, until his own madness propels everything into an intense climax.

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My Thoughts:

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The first thing I would like to emphasize on is that this is a novella. A short read, packed with a fast paced plot, action and murder! Lots and lots of killings…. yes! you guessed right, we have a serial killer on the loose. Dubbed by the media as the “Spyderco killer”, he haunts our protagonist, Jeremy Riker. This about sums up the two main character’s in the plot.

The story starts off with an action packed scene, thus introducing our hero in a rather interesting manner. This is then followed by some of his history, an explanation as to how he got into his current situation. The author then introduces our serial killer, but keeps his identity hidden even from the readers. Until this point the story remains consistent. We meet many interesting characters who support Riker and the plot twists are intriguing in places.

By the second half, we see more deaths happen, people close to Riker are killed and it becomes clear that this is personal. However, the author doesn’t develop much of the investigation Riker conducts nor are we given any insight into his feelings or thoughts about what is happening. Riker seems to be dealing with everything rather differently, and for a PI, he is busy with other cases. Even though the second half seems a little bit of a let down, the story comes to a clear conclusion with the ending leading to a follow-up novella.

A little into the story, we are also introduced to Jamie, Riker’s “niece”, and we watch her as she grows from a little girl interested in her grandfather’s tattoo business to a young tattoo artist herself. She is also integral to the story, but doesn’t seem to contribute much. Here I think the author could have developed a little more of her role in the story.

Overall, in spite of some of the few hiccups, the story is a good read and can be read rather quickly. It is well written and the style of writing contributes well to the pace of the story. I would recommend this book to those who love a fast paced action thriller with some mystery thrown in.