Member Reviews

This book was very interesting, coming from the perspective of the person who pulled the trigger. It is overwhelming, to say the least. It is not an easy subject for anyone, including these individuals who did this. Every single one is different in how they felt. Not all of the stories are about criminals out on crime sprees, but each one is emotional and very raw, hard to read without feeling like you are invested in the situation. This book is very well written and each story is well thought out and keeps you engaged. I highly recommend this book. It was great!

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This is such a maddening read. All across the globe we read and watch the gun atrocities that take place across the United States of America where innocent lives are lost, all because of the Americans' constitutional right to possess arms. We read stories from the point of view of somebody who has killed another human being through gun fire. We learn of the consequences and fall out of those actions. This was a well written book from a skilled writer who delves right into the heart of the matter. I look forward to reading more from Daniel Patinkin in the future.

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THE TRIGGER was an eye-opening read that goes into the issues of gun violence in the United States. There are six profiles that are followed in this True Crime book. I give this one a full 5/5 stars! I'll have my full review to follow soon.

I highly recommend this to anyone that is intrigued and interested in the gun violence cases and issues that are happening in the US.

Thanks to Netgalley and to the publisher for the free ebook copy in exchange for my honest review.

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I'm a huge believer in a person 'choosing' their path - you always have a choice - so Patinkin's book, it's profiles, do not make for easy (donut with coffee) reading. It's troubling. The important thing to remember is that the shooters in this book are not AK-47 trigger-happy mass murderers or ideological terrorists, they are ordinary individuals who did something wrong (or inevitable) and the book tells their story (to empathize and understand, but can come across as a justification too).

Thanks for the ARC.

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This was a fascinating look at both gun violence and the ripples that create a crime. It's a look into the life of the criminal and how they got to the point that they became a murderer, a point of view not often discussed. While it doesn't engender sympathy for the criminal it does make you see them as a person rather than a statistic. You'll find yourself having some empathy towards them and the lives they lead leading up to the crime. Instead of just taking away a headline you will wonder what one minor difference would have changed the course of events. When we read about a crime our first thought is that the criminal must be some cold-blooded killer. They are more than that and this book will bring that home to you. I highly recommend this to readers of true crime and criminal psychology

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"The Trigger" is a well-researched, unbiased look at six vastly different people in the U.S. that have one thing in common - they've shot someone to death. The author states in the prologue that his goal was to remain from making any political statements about gun violence or gun control. I personally wish the author had taken more of a stance or had further explored what opportunities were missed by us/our society that encouraged or allowed the shooting to take place versus spending much of the novel describing each person's prison experience. Regardless, a step in the right direction of opening up conversations that are much-needed in our country.

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This book was really gripping. It contains the personal stories of six different people who have all shot someone. It was very detailed, well written, and goes deep into each individual's background and life story well before the shootings ever took place.

The stories are really varied to offer a wide scope of perspective. One story was about a cop who shot someone to save a life. One was about a young woman who had suffered years of abuse. Others were hardened criminals, and some had no criminal background at all. I enjoyed this diversity because it showed that all kinds of people COULD find themselves in such a difficult situation.

All of the stories were excellent. Each time I was in the midst of one, I would declare it as my favorite of the bunch... until I was reading the next one and declared THAT one my favorite... and on and on.

Very eye-opening narrative. The author gets a BIT into political talk which I don't typically enjoy, but all in all, I found the book to be incredibly informative and interesting. This is one I'd highly recommend.

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Totally caught me off guard. There are no sides in this book like the normal drivel on the subject. There are only six stories of humanity and how guns factor in as a part of a much, much larger problem

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This true crime book shares six narratives of shooting situations where gun violence in the US is involved, opening the discussion about the topic and also gun regulation. The author delves into the story behind the headlines of each case to find the human reality of it and bring it to light.


Then the book brings up the mass shooting in Las Vegas in the epilogue too, and how that’s affected things in our country. I’d say equally affecting even since then has been the school shootings, especially the one in Florida recently that has set off marches and protests, along with walkouts in schools. Gun violence is certainly a long-term problem in the US with no simple solution in sight and something we all need to work together on to come up with a solution. The book looks at the issue from different sides and considerations. An advance digital copy was provided by NetGalley, author Daniel J. Patinkin, and the publisher for my unbiased review. 3.5 stars of 5 stars.


Arcade Publication
Publication: June 10, 2018

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Unfortunately, I will not be reviewing this book. I couldn't get into it and was unable to finish. Thank you for the try.

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While this book was interesting and I learned some things I didn't know about gun violence in America, I felt that the stories were relayed in a somewhat confusing manner. It was an easy read and good for true crime lovers.

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Thank you Net Gallery and Skyhorse Publishing to give me a chance to read this fantastic book. It certainly kept my attention from beginning to end. I would like to read more by this author.

Like I wrote above this is a fantastic read and I know it will be a bestseller and I hope my review helps it along.

Here we see 6 different powerful stories of the perspective of the actually shooter and why, how, and what of why they did what they did it. No discrimination in these stories, anyone can pull the Trigger. It must of been hard for the author to only pick 6 stories. There are plenty out there.

Whether you are abused, someone close to you dies, drug-related, or the best person in the town. You can find yourself in these situations. A lot of research is put in this book and the statistics are unbelievable. This book even throws in the many shootings by law enforcement. You will find yourself shaking your head at the things people do.

Every story is fantastic. I felt sorry for the abused girl that tried so hard to get away from her father and no one would listen. They say there are other things she could of done but really there wasn't. She did the only thing she could. I felt it justified. Courts thought differently.

Every one of these stories are wonderfully written and shocking. I really want to read it again.

Thanks again for the ARC

Cherie'

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This book was very good. It was diffeent to look at a shooting from the point of view of the shooter. The author gives us 6 narratives, where yes someone was shot, but what makes this book different and interesting is, the background presented of the shooter. Each shooter comes from a different background, but they are all connected in the fact that they pulled the trigger. We learn about the shooter, their background, their debt to society and their life after prison if they were sent to prison. Were the shootings justified? That is up to you to decide. I am sure this book will spark many conversations. I enjoyed this book and look forward to more from the author. Very concise writing and very infomative. To the author.the publisher and the people who shared their story with us, I thank you for this gem of a book. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

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