A Story of Scorpions

by Gabriel Everett

Book Overview

Reverend Alson Pierce's life is destroyed by the brutal murders of his wife and son. Everything he's loved most dearly is taken from him, and he is left alone with nothing but his damaged faith in... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0517706652
• ISBN13: 9780517706657
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

An edge-of-your-seat suspense thriller.

The best way to descript this is "Dead Man Walking" meets "Silence of the Lambs". I have read hundreds of novels in my life and I can honestly say that "A Story of Scorpions" is the most intense book I have ever read. The dialogue is brilliant and Everett's descriptiveness is captivating. The characters are strong, all with a purpose.

Excellent

An extraordinary novel. In my opinion, this book succeeds on every level. From psychological to religious to character study to crime novel, the book has it all. Everett and his main character, Alson Pierce, had my undivided attention from the first paragraph. Although it has been almost a year since I read this book, I still consider it the best novel I have read in awhile. Furthermore, it is a story I still find myself thinking about when I hear real stories of violence and depravity going on in society today. I eagerly await the second story in his series. If it is even half as good as this one, I will be satisfied.

A gripping tale of revenge, religion, and loss

Alex Leonard is in jail for the rape of a minister's wife and the murder of her and her son. Alson Pierce, the minister who has lost his entire family to Leonard, then begins a campaign to "love" his enemy. Pierce applies to prison authorities and the captured killer to get permission to serve Leonard in whatever capacity they will permit him. But beneath Pierce's facade of the ultimate Christian is a much darker plan, for he seeks not love but revenge. That, briefly, is the story of the first installment of the Beaumont Trilogy by Gabriel Everett. "A Story of Scorpions," though, is so much more than a simple tale of planned revenge. It is the story of a man who has lost everything he cares for--his religion and his family--and who seems to have nothing to live for aside from his planned revenge. Increasingly, however, he finds that his fate is tied for better or worse to that of his enemy, and this realization presents the central issue of the story. Through nearly 300 pages, Everett takes the reader to the depths of Pierce's despair and to the heights of hope. One of the most impressive aspects of the story is the way in which Everett manages to engage the reader's emotions and to provide an ending that is eminently satisfying. By "satisfying," I mean to imply neither that Pierce carries out his plan nor that he does not. What I mean instead is that the ending brings closure to much of the story without once verging on the hackneyed. Though "A Story of Scorpions" starts slowly, it soon settles into a very fulfilling psychological study of a man, his grief, his enemy, and the people around him.

A minister is torn between faith and the need for revenge

He is a minister, a husband, and a father. He is very happy and secure in his life. All that changes when Alex Leonard breaks into his home, rapes and kills his wife, and brutally murders his four year old child. Leonard proceeds to viciously kick the man of God so hard and often, he was forced to remain in a hospital for weeks. When he finally returns home, Reverend Alson Pierce is a change man. He is unable to deal with the trauma or grief. He cannot find comfort in the Lord, who he feels deserted him on that fatal night. The only reason the preacher goes on centers around Alex and trying to find a way "to love thy enemy". The authorities deny Alson's request for a meeting with Alex for fear that his motivation may not be so saintly. Eventually, the press forces that meeting to take place. A movie is being planned around the burgeoning relationship between the victim and the culprit, but no one knows what will happen when the chance for revenge finally arrives. A STORY OF SCORPIONS is an exciting, unbelievably well written suspense thriller. It is also the story of a modern Job who must travel afar and pay a big price to live the Lord's credo if he is to be redeemed. Gabriel Everett asks readers very disturbing questions that do not lend themselves to absolute answers. However, it is hoped that by examining these issues, individuals will be able to understand themselves and their motivations. Readers will either love or hate this novel, but one things is for sure, they will not be left unaffected. Harriet Klausner