Melancholy Jack By Diane Bixler Book Review

My review today is off my 2015 reading list. This was a book I really had to think about. Jack is a normal kid who learns to blend into his surroundings as he muddles through life. But there's a turning point, an event that changes him. It's really not a single event, more like the last straw, a trigger. 

I have spent countless hours watching documentary TV shows on killers as I wrote The Calm Before the Storm, and many years working with children with pathological illnesses. And I have to say the author did an excellent job painting the scene and allowing me inside Jack's head. The book flows easily and is a quick read because it was so hard to put down.




My review: 

Melanchology Jack is an account of his life and the forces that drove him to the act of murder. He was born into a dysfunctional family and at a young age fell in love with acting. It’s an interesting fictional biography in which the reader gets to look inside the mind of Jack and understand how his wheels turn.

Jack’s character is built through his retelling of his life. I felt for him and his plight from the time he was a young child. And found myself disliking characters I met only through his descriptions of them. Jack isn’t a bad guy just born under adverse circumstances. His life follows a sorrowful path, learning to be controlled in his approaches.

The author did an excellent job in “setting the stage” for Jack’s biggest acts in life and writing the turbulent journey of Melancholy Jack. She uses powerful descriptions that paint the picture in the readers’ mind as if watching a movie play out instead of reading a book. And there’s plenty of room for a sequel.

My review of Diane Bixler's Murder in D Minor
Website
Melancholy Jack (Acts of Justice Book 1)