Story for the Week
I read a lot of books. 📚 I know, you’re shocked, right? I know I don’t read as many as some people. I work full-time and have a family to take care of, but my Goodreads goal is usually 50 a year. (I’m currently three ahead of schedule—yay me!)
It’s extremely rare that I don’t finish a book. I’ve seen other readers say that life is too short to spend on mediocre books, but I feel like I want to give the author the benefit of the doubt. Have you ever watched a movie that was a really slow build and the ending made it totally worth it? That’s how I feel about books. I want to get to the “totally worth it” part. I also wholeheartedly believe that it’s not fair to write a negative review for something I couldn’t be bothered to finish. It’s like a teacher giving you a whole grade on a test based on only the first half of the questions. To make it even more personal and relevant, it’s like you deciding to stop reading my blog posts because there was one post you didn’t like. I’d really hate to see that. 😉
So one of the things I promised myself when I started this blog was that I would talk about the books I love (of course) but also the ones that I don’t. It’s all about balance, so I’ve already written reviews ranging from 2 stars to 5 stars. Now it’s time for a recent 1 star, although in all honesty, I would have given this a 0 rating if I could have. I disliked it that much.
Nevertheless, I’m going to include the link, although it’s tough to find on Amazon and shows it’s out of print, and “Calvin’s Loch’s” Twitter feed covers literally three months. (Maybe the 👮 finally caught up with him.) Reading likes and dislikes are subjective, so I promise not to judge (too much) if you choose to read it and actually enjoy it. Just know that our reading styles are very very very very very very (very) different. Did I say very? Different.
Book Review
⭐
1 Star for Killer’s Bible by Calvin Loch (Anonymous)
216 pages
Publisher: Calvin Loch
Publication Date: March 1, 2020
I received an advance copy of this title from NetGalley and Calvin Loch in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher’s Description
How-to Kill Handbook for normal people.
“Did I really do all of it? Yes, I did. All of it. But there’s no telling. Not straight up. I’d get thirty-to-life.”
The real-life diary of ‘Calvin Loch,’ a New York lawyer who takes the law into his own hands and murders a man with good reason.
This true-crime memoir catalogues the events that push an attorney to the edge. From office politics to shady dealings, from being love-struck to killing ‘justly,’ this first-hand account is a chilling exposé of how a white-collar murderer gets away with it.
The verdict: crimes don’t warrant punishment if done by a balanced ‘bad man’ who believes that he’s doing good.
The author remains at large.
************
Ugh!
I have read true crime in the past and been completely pulled in by books about Charles Manson and the Zodiac killer. That’s what made me request this title. This book is like neither of those. This book isn’t even what the publisher describes.
Killer’s Bible by Calvin Loch (a supposed pseudonym) is stream-of-consciousness mental vomit 🤮 told in the first person by a sociopath and misogynist who apparently is a lawyer who feels the need to take the law into his own hands. The vigilante murder that he supposedly committed takes place at the very end of the book, and the chapters leading up to it give absolutely no information to back up Calvin’s claims that his victim is a horrible person who needed to be brought to justice.
Chapter after chapter, we see Calvin lusting after his law clerk, digging glass into his leg to keep “The Surge” in check, rambling about his urges. And apparently he changed enough of the details to protect himself (and his clients) from discovery, so really how much of this is real and how much is fiction? My take is that this is a work of fiction that the author thinks is edgy and believes has a better chance of being published if presented as a memoir.
Prior to posting my review, I received an email from “Calvin,” which is really sent by his publishers according to the small print.
“Thanks for accessing a free copy of Killer’s Bible on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review when the book launches on 1 March.
“Statistics to date:
189 people downloaded Killer’s Bible.
Only 6 people are male.
What does this mean?
“From the reviews so far, some female readers dislike my message. Such a contrast from publishing on the dark net. Nevertheless your views are valid and genuinely appreciated despite that a trick has been missed. I never cried over what I have done and remain unrepentant but I cried over the hurtful reviews. I have killed but I am human. America has the death sentence and, as a participant in society, you agree with killing.
“Today, a funny thing! A friend lost $40,000 to a building contractor who ran away with his money a year ago. He and his wife are bankrupt and lost their honeymoon. His wife now suffers depression. My friend went to a lawyer who also wanted to screw him. One night a man knocked on his door. A big man. Ex-military. He says: ‘I heard what happened. Let’s go’. The ex-military man tracked down the building contractor. My friend watched the ex-military warn the contractor that he would be maimed if he didn’t pay back my friend. Today my friend got $30,000. My friend is a man of peace but now understands there’s goodness in ‘bad people.’ I feel exonerated.
“Can I request that morality be put aside in judging Killer’s Bible and that virtue doesn’t creep in under different guises, per the Warning in the book?
“Feel damned, so publish! Fine for me, but there’s a team of people behind the publication of Killer’s Bible who need it to succeed. You are part of the literati. It’s for the authorities, not book reviewers, to bring me to justice.”
Clearly, I agree with most of the other women he indicates didn’t like the book. However, it has nothing to do with morality. I just think it’s poorly written drivel that I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. If the team of people behind this publication NEED it to succeed, they should start looking for another title because this isn’t going to launch their careers.
NOTE: After I originally posted this review on NetGalley, I received the following email (which I reported to NetGalley and blocked from receiving future messages). It was a little disturbing that they would troll my Goodreads profile and then insist that I change my review. Like I said, reading preferences are subjective, so don’t kill the messenger. 😝
“We represent Killer’s Bible, a book you recently reviewed and which ‘Calvin Loch’ has asked us to contact you about as he feels that you have been disingenuous.
“We looked into the substance of his complaint and it does seem that you failed to be honest in your review as you didn’t disclose your deep religious conviction. At least, we assume you are an avid Christian, given that the four books on your bookshelf are about Jesus. We understand this. But, like everyone knows, you should divulge a conflict of interest.
“We request that you amend the last paragraph of your review of Killer’s Bible and that you not be embarrassed to mention your religious faith, which may have caused you to be dishonest when you said that morality had nothing to do with your review, despite how Killer’s Bible is blasphemous.
“We hope to hear back from you within 48 hours with confirmation that you have amended your comments. Failing which, you are on notice that we intend taking this matter to our annual Big 5 get-together where we will draw attention to what publishers should be wary of when courting amateur bloggers. Your profile will be center stage. In the absence of hearing from you, we confirm that “Calvin Loch” has agreed that $10,000 of his advertising budget go to publicizing your review throughout America to “show immorality and dishonesty at work in religious people”, funds which will come out of his book promotion campaign.
“We await hearing.
“Mags & co”
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