Take Me Out the Back

by Carolyn Geduld

A mass shooting in a nursing home rocks a southern Indiana town. The ripple effects afflict emergency workers, the nursing home staff, town officials, and the friends and families of the victims--both immediately and for weeks and months thereafter. Chillingly, those murdered often appear as ghosts, plaguing their family members with dangerous and surprising urges. Will a copycat shooter emerge from among them to kill again?

Genres: Fiction

240 pages, Paperback

Published August 27, 2020

Reviews

[Vonda · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a quirky yet intriguing book.! A man's mother had made him promise to "take her out back" when showed any signs of dementia. The saying is take her out back and shoot her. The man works maintenance at the local retirement home and knows of 10 patients there that are lost in their dementia as well. He takes them out back as well and then commits suicide by cop. The rest of the book is, each chapter names a person, mostly by profession, and then it tells the effect on this persons life the murders had.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

It starts with a man killing his aging, sick mother. She had always told him ... if I ever get that bad, just take me out back and shoot me. So... that's what he did.

But he continued on a killing spree, killing 10 people who were under hospice care in a nursing home. He then went out back and sat on a bench waiting for the police to show up. When they did, he waved an empty gun at them ... suicide by cop.

This story is not precisely about the murders. It's the story of all those who were affected by what this man did. Each chapter is told by a different person ... family of the deceased, family of the killer, those who worked in the nursing home, first responders, the policeman who killed the shooter, clergy, and friends.... even a budding cops cat killer.

These lives, in one way or another, will never be the same again.

Many thanks to the author / Black Rose Writing / Netgalley for the digital copy of this unique psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Sublime Book Review · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall Rating = 3.92

Storyline & Concept = 4.5

Writing & Delivery = 3.75

Editorial = 3.5

Take Me Out the Back relates the story of a mass shooting at a nursing home, shocking the residents of a small Indiana university town and sending waves of fear and upheaval into the lives of many.

This novel has a unique approach in its delivery. It begins with the initial incident, before winding its way through the individual stories of the people tied to the incident in some manner and showing the reader the effect the killings had on them. In the telling of these mini-stories, you would expect to lose the chance to connect with each character, yet the author’s experience in the mental health field draws the reader into each particular situation and helps us to empathize and feel that connection. At times, I didn’t want the stories to end, but I looked forward to how they would all tie together in the end. Take Me Out the Back is an altogether enjoyable and refreshing read.

Sublime Line: “A truly unique and chilling account of a mass killing as seen through the eyes of many.”

[Bonnye Reed · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a free electronic ARC of this novel from Netgalley, Carolyn Geduld, and Black Rose Writing. Thank you for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.

I tried to get involved in this story three different times. I loved the unique story idea, the concept sounded engrossing. I could not get past the passivity with which the nurse absorbed the abuse of her husband, Ed. Newlywed or not, third-strike in the marriage stakes beside the point, I could not picture a woman in the situation the Nurse finds herself docilely accepting the mental abuse dished out by husband Ed. It overshadowed any interest I had in the actual storyline. Sorry. DNF
pub date August 27, 2020
received Oct 5, 2020
Black Rose Writing
November 6, 2020, reviewed only at Goodreads and Netgalley.

[Susan Arsenault · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just loved this book!

The mass shooting in the Dementia unit at the nursing home is what ties all of these stories together-but each chapter could stand alone as well.
Each character was crazy/interesting.
I enjoyed reading this book!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Good read I enjoyed reading this book. I recommend this book of .short stories.It was interesting to read how different characters are interesting

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This dynamic novel about a mass shooting in a small town nursing home has a unique structure. Everything about the shooting--the crime, the shooter's motivation--happens in the first chapter. The rest of the book concerns the consequences for various members of the community, from first responders, town officials, to friends and family of the victims. Each of those affected has his or her own chapter. True to the latest research on PTSD, most have had previous or coexisting traumas. (The author is a mental health professional.) The nurse, for example, has already been mistreated by her jealous husband. The young housekeeper, who was the fiancee of a ninety-year-old victim, has had a drug problem. The Coroner is reminded of an unrequited love by a photo of a victim at a younger age.

One of the most complex and grimmest chapters concerns the deputy who killed the shooter, only to find out that the shooter's weapon was out of ammunition. The deputy unravels in part because he inadvertently killed a perpetrator who had become harmless and in part because of the ways the situation reminds him of his combat experience in Iraq. But not every chapter is grim. The certified nursing assistant comes from a family that squabbles in humorous ways. The witness videos the crime on his phone, then tries to sell the footage to local TV in a way that comically backfires.

The last two chapters concern two individuals, an adolescent boy who has been bullied and a delusional woman, who might become copycat killers. This is a somber reminder that although the pandemic has put a stop to mass shootings in schools and other venues, it is too soon to say whether this kind of horrific crime will begin again when normality returns.

A copy of the book was given to me by the author in exchange for this review.

[Viki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the subject matter was based on a horrific act, the novel started off so very interesting. It lost speed the longer the author wrote. I did like the way each affected character had their story told.

[Karri Moser · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are books that stick with you, that take your breath away at the end of chapters, that introduce you to characters you just can’t shake. Take Me Out The Back is one of those books. One tragic event affects the trajectory of the lives of many, creating a ripple effect that leads to enlightening, frightening, haunting, and heart-breaking truths for each person touched by a mass shooting at a nursing home. This story tells the event and aftermath through the eyes of the shooter, the shooter’s sister, chaplain, mayor, deputy, CNA, receptionist, wife of a victim, a copy-cat mass shooter in the making, and a slew of other characters whose lives will never be the same. It’s revealing, gritty, gut-wrenching, emotional, and exposes both the worst and best of humanity and a community rocked by one man’s disturbing action. To say it’s a page-turner is an understatement. Once you begin, you can’t help but keep going and soak up the aftermath of one tragic night. Each character, each chapter hooks you over and over again. As a disclosure, I was given a copy of this book to review.

[Beca · Rating 1 out of 5]

A grim collection of short stories, gathered around the central event of a mass shooting at a nursing home. This book isn’t read so much as endured. Everyone is miserable, insane, suicidal, homicidal, abusive, addicted, dying, or some combination thereof. This is bleak to the point of absolute misery. I don’t need everything to be sunshine and rainbows, but this is nearly unbearable.

[Kris Zeller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was absolutely fascinated by this book. I could not put it down.

This book is essentially a series of vignettes, each one briefly but intricately detailing the effect a common tragedy has on a person (or set of people). I loved how the stories are titled with the person's title (The Widower", "The Artists", " The Deputy", ect) and how the author clearly put so much time and thought into how the tragedy would effect so many people from the Mayor to one of the shooter's distant relatives.

Especially living in a country where these tragedies are far too common, I think it would be a really fascinating book to use in high schools to help young adults really think about the effects of their actions and the ripple effect they have on society. I also think that this book does a great job of exploring how you really can't possibly know what someone's life is like behind closed doors. Several of the stories made you feel like you opened a door, walked in on someone and saw something you had no business seeing.

For me this book evoked a sense of empathy and appreciation for people's individual struggles, which I think that is something that is seriously lacking in our current culture. It would be very worthwhile to try to get this book in the hands of as many young adults as possible.

Thank you so much To NetGalley for allowing .me the access to read this book, it was really a very compelling and thought provoking story.

[Domi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Original story about a man who fullfills a promise to his deteriorating mother who had always said: "take me out the back and shoot me". On a certain day he does just that, but doesn't stop there. He goes to the nursing home where he works and shoots 10 terminally ill people and afterwards lets himself be killed by the police.

This al happens in the beginning and this book is not a who did it or why did he do it, no it tries to show us the effect of one shooting on all the people directly, indirectly or in the perifery involved with it. The police, the mayor, the nurse, the sister of the shooter, the wife of someone in the nursing home, a reporter etc. Each chapter revolved about a new character and what the impact was of the shooting on his/her life. Nicely done.

Only thing that would have made it a little better in my opinion; just a bit shorter. There were some chapters in there about people that felt more like "filler" to me and that took a little bit away from my overall enjoyment.

*** An ARC was provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review ***

[Veronica Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Take Me Out the Back

(And shoot me). Just an old saying I heard many times as a youth. In this book someone does as he heard. You’ll soon know who it was and also the why. So that’s not all this book is about.
In each following chapter we will hear of a person who was effected by his actions. I loved that device for expanding a small story. Each chapter stands alone, some are wonderful stories while others are just so-so.
When you reads this very interesting book you can decide for yourself which is which. I have my favorites but I’ll not spoil it for you but telling you which they are.
Enjoy the read.

[Carolyn Geduld]

I'm so pleased that some of you have read the Kindle or paperback editions.
Here is a link to my website, where you can find over 30 stories I have written that are forthcoming, online, included in anthologies or literary magazines. The online titles are free, if you want a taste of my fiction to see if it is for you. https://carolyngeduld.com/
This is my latest--"Who By Stoning"--appeared September 12th: thebookendsreview.com

[David Philips · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very intense and thought-provoking novel that I thoroughly enjoyed, despite its problematic subject matter.
The psychological profiling, forensic detail, and irrational obsessions the author employs in her characters really make them come to life. The final two chapters were particularly chilling, as the cycle seems to repeat itself over and over.
It is a gripping, well-written, articulate, and knowledgable work, with a tightly-woven plot, that I would highly recommend.

[Louise Gray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The way this book presents a single tragic event is what makes it a fascinating read. Essentially told from the range of different perspectives of people who were there, readers see the event from each of their points of view. It’s a sad story and all too topical - mass shooting and the concept of euthanasia are prominent in current debates. Sensitively and cleverly managed, this book will make you think.

[Esther · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mass murder in a nursing home does sound compelling to those of us who may be quickly approaching the day when we will be living in a nursing home. All that activity takes place in the first chapter and the read story is how surviving family and friends were affected. It is imaginative and a quick read for a short escape.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grimly fascinating

That’s what my mother called this sort of book. It’s not exactly a novel; more of a lot of different ways of looking at an event, or the ways the same event affected multiple people. There’s no resolution. In fact, for a number of the people the event doesn’t resolve itself at all. It’s interesting to ponder but not something I’d want to re-read.

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very creepy story to read about a horrific event. It sure makes you think about how fast the world can change in one moment. Read during the Corona Virus Pandemic of 2020

[Georgia L Pavey]

Good idea gone bad

Started out intriguing but became too sick. Ended confusing. Too bad. Could have been great story but then it foundered.

[Cynthia A. Larson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was disappointed

Was not the book it started out to be. It changed into something I didn’t recognize I was reading at the end

[donna adams · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confused

I really didn't get this book random unfinished stories is there a sequel if not this is just odd and pointless

[Sue Telsrow · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little to glum for my taste

[Rhonda · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's all over the place and predictable. Some parts are great, the others...meh