Diminished Responsibility

by Geoffrey Toye

How far would you go to avenge the ones you love? Joh Ballinger’s wife has been killed by a drunken driver, and now, barely six months later, his daughter has been murdered by a religious psychopath. For Ballinger, a precision gunsmith who makes some of the most accurate weapons in the world, the due process of the law is not enough. Police custody would not be adequate protection for his daughter’s killer, not if they took him up into the Welsh mountains to locate her grave…Does one evil justify another? Diminished Responsibility explores the process of grief and how that can lead to revenge. “… excitingly recounted with enough attention to detail on ballistics, boats and geography to satisfy the most demanding reader.” – The Sunday Times Geoffrey Toye was for many years a freelance photojournalist, and well-known especially for his highly informed articles on sailing, archery and high-powered air-guns. His first novel, the thriller Diminished Responsibility was a great success, and also appeared in translation abroad, most notably in Germany where it became a best-seller.

289 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

Reviews

[Steve]

I thought this book looked interesting, but it really blew me away! In many ways this reads like a traditional British mystery novel, but for me it's a little bit edgier and more engaging.

The protagonist, John Ballinger, finds himself alone after the murder of his only child, an adult daughter, several years after his wife is killed in a car accident. As he hatches a plot to go after the murderer, he naturally faces opposition on many fronts.

The writing, character development, and originality are all outstanding. The only drawback for me was one completely gratuitous sex scene. It's somewhat graphic, but pretty short. I could have done without that personally, but I enjoyed the rest of the book enough that for me it wasn't enough to lose a star.

[Paul]

top level psychological thriller. I was interested in the air-rifle technology and was gratified to see the realistic levels of that technology used. The plot turns were masterful and not telegraphed. Excellent read and I will highly recommend it.

[Carolann Hiller]

Disturbing

Many twists and turns. Air gun expertise and craftsmanship. Police intuition proves reliable but hard to prove. The killer of the killer is cold hearted.