Book Reviews and More: Three Last Things or The Hounding Of Carl Jarrold, Soulless Assassin - Corinna Turner

Thursday 13 August 2020

Three Last Things or The Hounding Of Carl Jarrold, Soulless Assassin - Corinna Turner - Last Things Book 1

Three Last Things: or The Hounding Of Carl Jarrold, Soulless Assassin

Last Thing Book 1
Corinna Turner
Unseen Books
ISBN 9781910806562
eISBN 9781910806579
ASIN B08BCTBRRT

I have greatly enjoyed all the books by Corinna Turner that I have read. But this is completely unlike anything else I have read by her. This story was a surprise on many levels, and in many ways. At first, I was a little confused by the title. I am very familiar with the theological statement: the four last things, death, judgement, heaven, or hell. The story is very compelling and is an absolute page turner.

The story follows Carl Jarrold as he prepares for that last walk, as a dead man walking. He has been sentenced to die by lethal injection for his crimes. He has been meeting with Fr. Jacob, and the priest's words have started to crack the shell of this ‘soulless assassin’. In an intense story we follow Carl to the death chamber, a failed attempt, and a window of opportunity. While the death chamber is reset for another go.

You will feel yourself pulled into this story, and this man’s last hours. To the thoughtful witness of Father Jacob. And to the events as they unwind. It is also a story you will find yourself thinking about for days afterwards.

This is a story with a number of twists. I was expecting some very different things than the way events worked out. The book took me by surprise, and I was very glad to have read it. Many years back I met sister Helen Prejean, and worked through the book and movie Dead man Walking, in more than 1 university course. That book challenged my own stance on the death penalty. And this book does an amazing job of capturing that same feel. It is incredibly well written.

This volume comes in at under 60 pages. And yet it is intense and emotionally and spiritually impactful, if you can read this story and not be moved maybe the term soulless could be applied to you.

I have been in the room where the last execution in Canada took place. And I have read accounts from witnesses of modern executions in the US, and this story is masterfully written to capture these events. No matter your stance on capital punishment, this book will cause you to think, and even though it is fiction, it will stir strong emotions and feelings. It is an excellent piece of writing and I challenge you to give it a read.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2020 Catholic Reading Plan!