A Good Thriller discussion
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Group Read - White Is The Coldest Colour by John Nicholl - July
John wrote: "Hi H N, The toughest part of writing the book was conveying the horror of the crimes involved without using any graphic descriptions with exception of the few lines in chapter one. In the end I dec..."Wow! Great response. Thanks John.
Hi Janet,I'll look forward to finding out your thoughts. It's great that some reviewers think carefully about their comments, whether they like the book or not! I hope you liked the book, but fully appreciate that it's not to everyones taste.
Best wishes,
John
Brenda wrote: "John wrote: "Hi Brenda, That was fast. There's some fast readers out there! I hope you found the book interesting?"Absolutely! I'm now formulating a review in my head, but I can tell you it's a ..."
Agree! Im finished as well but holding off on further discussions until all have had the pleasure of finishing
A note for all when finished: if it's not too much trouble, would you mind posting your review on Amazon and Amazon UK as well as Goodreads? I know John would really appreciate the effort! :-)Here are the direct links to each page.
U.S.:
http://www.amazon.com/White-coldest-c...
UK:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/White-coldest...
Thank you, Jan, it's much appreciated! Ill send you the link.
Jan wrote: "A note for all when finished: if it's not too much trouble, would you mind posting your review on Amazon and Amazon UK as well as Goodreads? I know John would really appreciate the effort! :-)Her..."
I found it!
Thanks, Jan. I'll look forward to more questions!
The book is amazingly well written, John. How sensitively it addresses such an issue! It's not graphic but chapter 1 was so impactful that it's created an image in my head and I can't help going back to it as I read further- it's a really good thing! I understand, it's okay :)I'm super intrigued about chapter 12 now! All this talk about it has my hopes up.
And I can't wait for the next book. I'm so enthralled by this one as it is! Is that purely fictional or based on your experiences too? I understand it must've been tough for you, over the years. Has the experience of your work altered you in any measure?
Hi Ishita,You write extremely eloquently. Several years have now passed since I left the work. It feels like a different life I wouldn't want to go back to. It certainly affected me at the time, and I used kick boxing as a coping mechanism. It helped to hit things! My next book will be a psychological thriller, but won't include child protection. I won't write about the subject again.
Hi Stephanie,I get what you're saying. At one point in the book Grav says what he'd like to do to Galbraith. I can empathise with the inspectors point of view! That said, if the story were real life, I think men like Galbraith should be imprisoned and never released.
I'll take that as a compliment, John, thank you.Kick boxing sounds like a cliche to me now. Everyone I know with difficult job along the line of yours, has often found refuge in it. And yet it surrounds one of the characters from White? Interesting. I think that's fair. All the best with it :)
Hi Ishita, I was a Tae Kwon Do instructor for several years. My three children also studied it. My daughter has a black belt. I think it helps to be able to defend yourself if necessary. A bit off the subject I know, but it played a big part in our lives for a time.
Oh, wow. That's impressive! Self defense is really important, I learned Karate for a really short while too, but I was a wimpy kid so I left as quickly as I joined and I was stubborn so didn't listen to my dad urging me to rejoin, either.
76%. Dang, this is good, John!!! Gotta stop for a while to take care of some other things. *Teeeeeeaaaaaaarrrring myself away...*
Hi Aaron,The ukulele? Tell me more. I wasn't expecting that one!
Thanks, Christine, your kind comments are much appreciated.
Up to Ch. 5. Love the intro explanation and dedication to survivors. I've know two, and the trauma has done irreparable damage to their lives. Had to look up cariad. In the States, I just saw "Subway Jared" has had his house contents impounded related to pornography investigation. His prior executive director was arrested for producing child pornography and unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide in prison. And the Penn State Sandusky scandal. These are famous because of the high profile offenders, so you just wonder how wide spread it might be overall. I don't think pedophiles can change
Hi Perri,Cariad is the Welsh word for love. Child protection is very high profile in the UK at the moment, with the prosecution and imprisonment of several high profile individuals in recent months. There's also been some awful scandals involving multiple offenders in a number of areas of the country. At least these predatory criminals are being caught more often now than was the case in the past. I'm not aware of the situation in the USA. I agree with you that these people rarely if ever change. They will always pose a risk, it's just a matter of how much.
Sorry Perri, I just reread your post and realised what you'd said about the two survivors you know. As you know sexual predators like the criminals in the book can inflict insurmountable harm on their victims, but many go onto live extremely productive lives. I think appropriate therapy can contribute greatly towards that end.
Like Ishita, I had to stop after chapter 5 or 6 last night. Even though the first chapter was really the one that hit me like a ton of bricks, the ones that immediately follow also felt oppressive to me, as that's the kind of - I hate to use the word "person" for Galbraith - sadist - he is. Now I am up to 40 %, and it is a bit more tolerable to read because I am hoping that there is light at the end of the tunnel.I also had to look up Jimmy Savile, because here in the US, we didn't really hear much about him. My goodness! It's mind-boggling to read about how much he got away with for so long - decades!
Saville was a very high profile celebrity here in the UK and was even knighted by the queen! Sir Jimmy! Sadly the scumbag died before facing justice. Predartors like him hide their true nature from the world. I hope that the book plays a small part in making that more difficult.
Hi Jan, Thanks for the five stars, it's appreciated! Reviews can be an emotional rollercoaster.
Read this one, but I am defo in for the discussion
Hi Sue, I was hoping you'd join the discussion. I read your review sometimes when I need cheering up! Great to have you on board. Best wishes, John
NO escaping me John. I'm a fan for life. When does this all start then? can someone remind me so I don't miss it.
It's already started, Sue. This is post 184! Only 3-4 have finished the book already, so we haven't discussed the end, but we have been grilling John like mad!
Thanks for the response, John. One survivor I'm very close to is the most loving woman I know and leads a very productive life as an RN. She was sexually abused repeatedly by a family member who was never prosecuted or even confronted about it. As a Prosecutor do you think that helps bring a measure of closure?
I think prosecution can help provide a degree of closure. I've met many survivors who are living extremely productive lives, often in the helping professions. Their strength and integrity is to their credit. They demonstrate that the worst adversity can be overcome. It seems that some humans have an almost infinite capacity for evil, but thankfully the opposite is also true. There's a great many good guys and gals out there in the world. It's important to remember that.
Thanks for the five stars, Christine, it's much appreciated! If you have the time to add your review to Amazon, that would be wonderful.
John wrote: "I think prosecution can help provide a degree of closure. I've met many survivors who are living extremely productive lives, often in the helping professions. Their strength and integrity is to the..."Well said, John. I wouldn't mention her on social media, but she's very open about it-her courage is humbling!
Jean wrote: "Like Ishita, I had to stop after chapter 5 or 6 last night. Even though the first chapter was really the one that hit me like a ton of bricks, the ones that immediately follow also felt oppressive ..."Thanks for the reminder to look up Jimmy Saville as I meant to do that awhile back. How horrible that so many turned a blind eye to his actions until after he was dead. Having access to hospitals and helpless, defenseless children. There is a special place in hell for him, I'm sure. We have something similar going on in the U.S. with a high profile celebrity, Bill Cosby. The similarity is only in the fact that everyone is waiting for him to admit that he's drugged young women for 20+ years, and until he does, no one will believe it's true. So many victims have come forward, now even a transcript of him admitting to buying qualudes for the purpose of drugging women, yet still no action being taken against him legally. He has lost some sponsors and some colleges/businesses have distanced themselves from him, but that is nothing compared to the lives he damaged for so many years.
It makes me feel good knowing that ass has a headache.... #justsayin
John wrote: "Thanks for the five stars, Christine, it's much appreciated! If you have the time to add your review to Amazon, that would be wonderful."Hi John, the Goodreads Gods must have rated the book for me as I'm sitting at 82% at the moment. I will likely finish tomorrow and write you a review on Thursday after my thoughts have marinated for a while, lol. I will say this--I am really enjoying the book so far, but Galbraith BETTER get his comeuppance!!!
Jan wrote: "Jean wrote: "Like Ishita, I had to stop after chapter 5 or 6 last night. Even though the first chapter was really the one that hit me like a ton of bricks, the ones that immediately follow also fel..."I think the statute of limitations will prevent criminal charges against Cosby. And speaking of "intuition" and bad feelings, I always had a creepy feeling about Cosby despite his "warm and fuzzy" vibes.
Hahaha, E! Too bad he's not suffering because of his conscience!I was shocked to hear on the new tonight that one of the priests who was a chaplain when I was in college is one of 5 priests in his order who have been accused of child sexual abuse at some point(s)in his career here in Minnesota. He's now 80+ years old, and I read that he had left the priesthood. I never thought he was very charismatic or had much personality. I know these guys often stay under the radar, but honestly, this guy was into peace protests and all that stuff that was going on politically in the 70s...I guess it's not hard for them to hide their misdeeds, sadly.
Chapter 13Ok, what's the Jackanory reference about? I googled that it's a BBC kid's show...
And don't want another Cleveland?
Hi Everyone, We don't have a statute of limitations in the UK. Several recent high profile cases have related to historic offences. Jackanory was a children's show in which a celebrity read from a book. Simpler times! The show always started with the presenter asking the children if they were sitting comfortably? Cleveland was a large scale alleged abuse case involving multiple adults and children that went horribly wrong. Social workers and police officers were castigated in the media. More importantly, kids were badly let down. Our county was the first in the UK to successfully investigate a ring, with long prison sentences for six men. We were very aware of events in Cleveland and the repucutions during the investigation.
Sorry Christine, I've had another look, and there is another Christine out there! My apologies for the misunderstanding.
Hi Brenda, Thanks for an insightful, beautifully written review of the book. Thanks for taking the time, it's truly appreciated!
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Reviews are an emotional rollercoaster for an author. Some leave you elated, others saddened. Thankfully, the positive comments outweigh the negative. I guess by agreeing to be part of the group I set myself up to be shot down, All I can ask of reviews is to write their honest opinions. No need for an apology, Janet. I fully appreciate that it's not a book for everyone. Perhaps this is a good time to remind everyone that if they want the updated version of the book they should contact me at nicholl06@hotmail.com. If you bought it on the 12, June or later you already have the latest version. Anyway, I'm going to stop worrying about reviews now, and go out for lunch.
I've finished. Writing my review.
John wrote: "Sorry Christine, I've had another look, and there is another Christine out there! My apologies for the misunderstanding."No issues, John!
Thanks Janet I feel better now. My little ..."
Happy birthday to your son, Stefanie!