Jimmy

First of id like to start this review by saying; WOW! simply WOW!I was a bit unsure about this book as the cover and the blurb creeped me out but being that it had rave reviews and was an amazon freebee I decided to give it a go and I'm glad I did!This book is fast paced, hard to put down, and creepy.Jimmy is obviously the centre of this story and he is the bad guy. He is a young sadistic teenage boy who has some sick fantasies that hes dying to play out in real life and eventually he gets his wish when he kidnaps Samantha and later kidnaps her friend Megan when Megan becomes dangerously close to finding Samantha.Jimmy is not what you'd expect. He's your normal, everyday teenager who plays video games with his younger brother Allan, jokes around and is fond of his mother and father and has a lovely girlfriend and we see them stumbling into their newfound romance and the loss of their virginity to each other.The author has made Jimmy eerily normal with a loving family and a healthy upbringing which adds to the creep factor even more as we tend to analyse why people do the things they do and what makes a serial killer / rapist. We like to think that abuse, both physical, mental and sexual during childhood over a long period of time contributes to this matter and is the cause of such sadistic thoughts / behaviours but unfortunately this is not always the case and Jimmy highlights this fact a lot as his actions were done out of curiosity and erotic fantasies that he played out too far.This novel is written extremely well in a way where the scenes play in your mind very well and are all too realistic and has great pauses and timing between characters.It is hard to believe this is the authors first major NovelThis is a must have and will hook you right from the very start and keep you hooked right up until the end.I loved the characters and felt so conflicted within myself as even though I knew Jimmy was bad and with the actions he decided to take meant there was no turning back, I couldn't stop myself from liking him as he has so many likable qualities amongst his sick thoughts.I wont say too much more except the ending had me in tears with 3 murders and 2 suicides but it was simply perfect for the story.

This my first time reading Malmborg's work in the form of a novel, and I have to say that, overall, he tells a compelling story that is equal parts gut-wrenching, suspenseful, warm, but ultimately tragic. I'm actually hesitant to call Jimmy a a "horror" novel. I feel it would fit in under crime and suspense more appropriately. With the recent news of the kidnappers in Ohio who put their victims through similar tortures to that which the subject of this novel doles out to his victims, I truly appreciated Malmborg's long, unblinking look into the darkest aspects of human nature. The author is not trying to gross us out, he is simply drawing on the reality we see in tragic crime stories every day, and that can be scary enough. He shows us just how seamlessly a monster and a man can co-exist under the same skull cap. Jimmy Hawthorn is tragic, for certain, because while he proves himself a remorseless son-of-a-bitch, with zero empathy for those whose lives he destroys, he manages to be a very loyal, loving, and funny friend, brother, and son outside of that context, which makes the eventual climax all the more floor-dropping. In that way, he is more Francis Dolarhyde than Hannibal Lecter. What makes Jimmy (the novel) enjoyable, I think, is how Malmborg characterizes the people in his story. He seems to remember very well what it was like to be a young person: scared, defiant, curious, unreasonable, silly, care-free...and we really feel for those persons who live and laugh and exist while just below the surface (in some cases literally) there is a very real ugliness that threatens to unravel everything, and that's what makes the story most unsettling. The pacing of the book is also very well done, and Malmborg proves himself a story teller who keeps his audience engaged. I enjoyed the shifting perspectives within a scene especially. The only reason I didn't finish the novel sooner was that I had to stop reading it before bed. I recommend this read, but only if you can stomach some very dark moments. But if you can, there's very well done thriller here. I look forward to continue following this author's work.

William Malmborg writes Jimmy Hawthorne in such a way that you actually feel for him in certain scenes of this book.Keep in mind that Jimmy is the villain, he has kidnapped two classmates and has them hanging by their wrists in a secret underground shelter (no spoilers, that is all in the description). The things that Jimmy does to his victims (both imagined and real) is monstrous, it's vile, it's uncomfortable at times.Then he leaves the shelter and you get the other side of Jimmy. He interacts with his brother, his family, kids at school, and his girlfriend. You see that he is a normal kid and this is who you feel for.It hard to reconcile the two. And it's easy to see why people who have lived with Serial Killers have said that they had no idea what was going on.This book is not for the weak - there are passages that are hard to read, but it is a very good book and I highly recommend it.

Jimmy is in his last year of school with a fetish for seeing girls tied and hung from their wrists makes the decision to grab a girl from his school to live out his fantasy. Follow Jimmy’s story has he discovers what that really means when it’s go longer a fantasy in his head or on VHS.This book was fantastic, whilst it sick and twisted and parts make my stomach turn I really enjoyed the writing.The characters were written really well and whilst Jimmy was a cruel and sadistic you also see another side to him which made it hard to hate him.William Malmborg has got me hooked and I can’t wait to read another of his books.

Haunting, chilling and horribly gruesome in detail

I thought that this book should have had a warning. Especially for young readers. It is graphic and horrific,but the author manages to grab you and pull you in from the beginning. The cover of the book gives a betteridea of the book than the description!That said, the author does have the ability to make the characters believable.....and that is what makes thisbook so very sad. Somehow despite the horror that the main character inflicts on his victims, there were timesthat I felt sorry for him. As if he was a child that really had no idea what he was getting into. Good characterdevelopment on the other characters as well. Suspenseful, as you read on to see how it will all end. For those who have a strong stomach, I would recommend it.

The terrible of that story is the sympathy from bot sides. Jimmy neigher was as good as he acted nor as evil as he realy was. Though I really want to close the book for several times I deside reading till the end cause the rezis of another reader. Now that I finished it, I am thinking of a totaly waste of time about the absurdity. Nothing seems understandable.

I really enjoyed this kindle book, it was so gripping and thought provoking. It is not as graphic or offensive as some people would let you believe (or maybe i have a strong stomach). You quickly warm to the characters of the girls and Jimmy's younger brother and you desperatly want Jimmy to pick on the wrong person and get his punishment.The only negative of this book was its ending, unfortunately i found it quite predictable, whcih was such a shame.Great read at a great price by a great author well done!!!!!