Synopsis:

A shooting at a Chicago beach leaves several dead and dozens injured. In the year before the attack, four individuals emerge as possible suspects.

An apathetic computer programmer.
An ex-college athlete with a history of head injuries.
An Army veteran turned Chicago cop.
A despondent high school student.

One of them is the shooter. Discover who and why.

Rating:

Review: ***Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Greg Hickey! My apologies that it took me so long.***

When I started reading this book, I looked up the title to see what it meant. Parabellum. I found a few interesting things. One definition of the word is a semiautomatic pistol, which in the context of the subject of the book seemed apt. But even more apt but that I found the term “Para bellum”. It’s a Latin phrase that means “prepare for war”, it is often included in a longer quote of “If you want peace, prepare for war.” This is also surprisingly topical for this book.

At the beginning of the book, I thought I had a pretty good idea who the shooter was. I initially suspected the programmer. He seemed the most likely suspect. Apathetic in general but with a hint of sociopathy. He seemed to view other humans as an experiment, something interesting to watch but ultimately non-consequential. Along the way, as we learn more about each of these characters, it honestly could have been any of them. The high school student who is hypercritical of himself, never feels good enough, and is largely ostracized by his peers. The former athlete who’s repeated head traumas have caused her to be experiencing a lack of control over her anger and fueling resentment at the world. And the veteran turned cop who is struggling with PTSD and having a difficult time finding meaning in his life now that the war is over. By the middle of the book, even though I thought the programmer was still the most likely, all of them were viable.

I really enjoyed learning about these characters, interspersed with passages that seemed to be from the killer’s manifesto. I found great sympathy for all of them. All of them had justifiable anger at the world and their community. My only complaint about this book was that the ending chapters were a bit confusing. I had to go back a few times a read over one of the pages because I wasn’t quite sure what was going on. And, when the killer is revealed, I didn’t think it was the best choice. It seemed to me that this person was the person that the author intended to be the shooter before writing the book. But as the story went on and the characters evolved, I didn’t feel like they were the best choice any longer. So, the ending fell a bit flat as a result. Overall, I enjoy the way the author writes and I love his ideas.