Shame Paperback – December 11, 2012

This is one of those stories that take you on a great ride. You know Gray Parker was sent to prison for the killing of quite a few woman and later killed by the prison. His son Gray changed his name to Calab, because of the kids teasing him in school, he was sick of hearing it. When the murders start again the police believe it's Calab doing the same as his father did, but was he? Well that's when the author Elizabeth shows up to follow the details , to which she may write a another book about this case. Calab seems to always be at the scene everytime there is another murder, but did he do this? As the story nears the end things do bring out the evidence, the ending for me did seem to leave me wanting more details than were given. That's why I gave it 4 stars. The plot is great, you should enjoy the read.

I'm a big fan of true crime stories. While I know this story was fiction, the plot of it truly reeled me in. I mean, how often do you hear about the people who were left behind after the criminal has been punished? It is THAT which captured me and leured me into reading this book.I call SHAME a roller coaster because I found myself on a ride of excitement and interest, and then dipping into moments that seemed to just drag on and lose my interest. All in all it did leave me wanting to finish the ride.I found the story had some very interesting characters, and I truly adored Lola. What a gal! I did get a little annoyed with her going on and on and on about the reason she was a drag queen and the reasons behind it. I just felt like she was trying to validate her reasons for it rather than just being who she was. For some reason this part of her character bothered me. Hum, I guess it just didnt need to be there and became rather redundant.I would have liked to have known more about Shame himself with a bit of more detail into his crimes. For me, Shame was the true terrifying person in the story. Since Elizabeth was so intimate with the killer I had hoped there would have been a bit more insite to him. I felt a little empty.There was also quite a bit of back building in the story. A lot actually. I found it fairly distracting and a little bit confusing.I thought the story was very well written. Good characters, intriguing plot, and some pretty good action scenes. For example, when Caleb is tied up in the kitchen, I found myself gripping the Kindle and yelling at him. It was a good ride, I just felt that, for this psycho thriller ride, there were far too many long valleys and not near enough hills.I am giving this three of five stars. It is a good read. I definitely want to try another book by this author! From what I have read in other reviews this was not one of his better works. I would have given four stars were in not for the slow parts that had me losing interest.~*~Rhea

Subject matter deterred me at first but psychological angle drew me in.This book resonates with anyone who has been bullied, taunted, sidelined, or tainted by parents’ transgressions or because they are different. That cuts a big swath among supposed misfits, shy or solitary people, outcasts, kids who suffer growing up because they don’t fit in. What happens to those kids when they become adults? Is “evil” hereditary? These are some of the social issues brought up in this book that addresses the mocking, derisory, taunting aspect toward those who don’t fit into the all-American profile.Dr. Elizabeth Line is the journalist who has written about mass murderer Shane and is probably the foremost authority on him. His son Cal has found a measure of peace in a quiet life until this is shattered by a new murderer following the same pattern as Shane. Whether or not Cal is guilty, he is already condemned by his father's reputation and the fact that some people believe "evil" is hereditary. It seems to be general opinion that if the real Shane isn't around to commit the murders, then it must be the son who is following in his father's footsteps.While ignorance abounds, it is hard as a reader to understand why the cops are so eager to pin the murders on Shane’s son. Also, the wrap up made this reader feel as if something important had been kept secret from me thus nullifying any chance for me to reach my own, however misguided, conclusions.Some brilliant passages. “No one can look into God’s face without going insane. It’s too complicated, too brilliant, too unfathomable.”

In this intense, riveting novel, Caleb Parker is still haunted by the death of his father who was an infamous serial killer called "Shame." Caleb only wants a normal life, but soon more killings appear which seem to be linked to Shame's killings. Caleb is now the suspect but he links up with true crime author Elizabeth Line who had documented the life of Shame. This is a mind-bending novel which draws you into the mind of the serial killer. You'll not put this book down, and the ending will shock you! I believe this would make a block buster movie on the big screen. Reading this made me feel I was already watching the movie! Highly recommend.

I can say that I really liked this book but in the interim there were times I would feel a little lost in the confusion and have to back up a few pages.Over all, it was a good story and the author managed to save some of the biggest secrets till the very last page and make them be a total surprise.I really enjoyed the character Lola and her Lakota wisdom.I do recommend the book but for me, maybe I should try reading it again in a few months and maybe I could find out what I missed the first time around.I think it is what was left unsaid. IE: Elizabeth, the crime writer in the story, started out in the company and good graces of the police department but they disappeared and never came back into play.Just seems like there should have been a few pages of explanation between the last death in the story and the memorial service....an unspoken part that needed to be there.

I must admit at the beginning of this book I wasn't sure, but it didn't take long for me to be swept into the world of Caleb...one minute I felt sorry for him, the next he annoyed me. Perhaps that is what Alan wanted! I loved the character Lola and her relationship with Caleb, but I wasn't completely in tune with Elizabeth's journey - the bit near the end, to me, being a bit far fetched as I couldn't quite imagine it happening in a real life scenario. I think Alan kept the momentum of the book going and there are a good couple of twists which I didn't see coming (however one i did!). I didn't feel that it was a fast paced book but I certainly looked forward to reading it on my commute to and from work. I'd be interested in reading any other of Alan's books.

It is a shame so much was left until the end. The middle of the book was not an easy read, it twisted and turned and I didnt feel I gained anything from it. The closing chapters did bring it all together but part of me wished it had been woven into the middle of the story.It did have the strands of Silence of the Lambs, the young writer interviewing the "Hannibal" of the story but with a twist. I found the psychology behind the "son of a murderer" interesting but again it was developed late in the book.There were times when the links were weak and it made the reader give the author the benefit of the doubt.Like another has said, I was intrigued by Lola, good use of a character.

I'm afraid I got bored with this book about halfway through and then finishing it became a challenge rather than a pleasureI think my problem was that I found too many anomalies in the plot which stretched credibility and coincidence to breaking pointFinishing became a matter of honour and a chore, rather than a pleasure

The story line was unusual and kept you reading to try to understand what the underlying result would be. You could guess one theory then it would seem you were on the wrong track and thena few pages further you went back to your original thought. This went on most of the way through the book, but the way in which it was finally resolved after a number of twists and turns was great. However I did not quite follow how the person narrating the story got her motivation for starting the whole situation in the first pkace.An excellent read from start to finish and would read this author again..

I have never taken so long to read a book, but unfortunately it happened with this one. It started off okay, then it got slow! I was so disappointed towards the ending, the climax was not how I expected! It was slightly flat! The only reprisal was the confessions at the end, which was half expected!It was still worth the read.