Madilynn Dale
- Jan 16, 2022
- 3 min read

Book Review of Amongst The Killing by Joe Compton

Synopsis:

For as long as he could remember, Detective Charles Street wanted to be a police officer, moreover, a detective. He wanted to be knee-deep in the action, working the biggest cases and reaping the biggest rewards. But he didn't think when his dream job came calling that it would ever turn into his nightmare.

For as long as he could remember, Jack Casey just wanted to be free, his own man to do what he pleased, when he pleased. He too craved action, and when his dream life came calling, he didn't think he would meet anyone who was his equal, and he definitely didn't think he would ever have difficulty leaving behind the world he loathed and mocked.

Amongst the Killing documents both of their stories, told in their own words, as the moments unfolded when their paths first crossed and their lives intersected. How could two men, with two different philosophies, be so different and yet so connected?

As the ultimate cat and mouse game unfolds, each has to deal separately with the other's decisions and the effects they have in turning their lives sideways and upside down. Will one of them crack? Will one of them succeed? Ultimately, the journey may mean more than the game and show both of them the outcome neither was ever expecting.

Review Amongst The Killing by Joe Compton

The first thing I want to touch on with this novel is the cover. At first glance you will see a graves and an open plot of land. Pulling back from that you will find that the images rest in two male silhouettes. I love that about the cover and how it displays important images to the main characters Detective Charles Street and Jack Casey.

The book pulls the reader in immediately from the start with a heart wrenching scene as Charles is given his worst nightmare. This catapults him into a dark abyss of pain and depression that he struggles with throughout the book. The raw emotions of this character were vivid and realistic. I felt myself hurting for him as I read. He discovered at some point what is important and his Captain and Partner fight tooth and nail to get him back on the straight and narrow.

Jack Casey was interesting. He began as a disgruntled man who finally snaps and kills. He throws his life away to continue the pursuit of that high that comes after the kill. In a daring feat he does something he never saw himself doing and catapults himself into Detective Street’s life.

The two maintain a dance and play a deadly game of cat and mouse. Bodies begin to stack up as Jack stays on the run obsessing over Detective Street.

The plot of this story was well thought out and easy to follow. The storyline seemed to flow effortlessly from start to finish. There wasn’t any difficulty distinguishing between character POVs with each chapter. There were a couple of errors in the story but nothing big that deterred from the story.

I was lucky to snag this book and order it. There were only a few copies left when I ordered it from Amazon. The author has it down for some updating. Having read the book, I’m curious to see what changes will be made to the manuscript. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and give it a 4/5 star rating.

About Joe Compton

Writing has always been a passion. Published in his school anthology at an early age, Joe was able to get his first taste of the self publishing idea, having gotten to see firsthand what it took to publish and sell something on your own. Right out of school Joe joined the Marines and while serving his country, wrote the first draft of Amongst The Killing. When Joe got out he began pursuing his writing dream in Denver. He got an agent and they actually got an offer from a publishing company. Alas though they wanted to groom this manuscript toward a movie of the week theme and was looking to change the entire concept. Joe didn't want to go along with those plans and walked away. Soured from his experience Joe began pursuing a different writing avenue and equally as strong passion: screenplays and filmmaking. While still in Denver Joe began making short films. He would make 3 of his own and though success alluded him in the traditional sense, he found another type of success. The relationships he forged and the avenues he opened up, led him to realize he was not alone in his experiences and thus he decided to build a publishing brand. A company that could help others like him be discovered. It took some time but now Never Mind The Fine Print Publishing LLC is here. Their first effort, Joe's book he wrote all those many years ago, Amongst The Killing.