3 out of 4 stars
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Who Trespass Against Us by D.P. Conway is a fictional telling of the Las Vegas mass shooting in 2017 and what led up to it. It focuses on the story of Stephen Paddock and his violent past, as well as the troubled lives of his father and distant relatives. There is also a subplot that tells of two of the victims from the mass shooting. Conway fictionalized these victims and tells about their upbringing and eventual deaths at the hands of Stephen.
The book goes back to detail the dark past of Stephen’s ancestors. Conway quickly moves on to tell the story of Benny Paddock, Stephen’s dad. Benny is a bank robber and an outlaw and quickly sees that his son possesses a disturbed mind. As time goes on, Stephen grows up. A series of events that take place throughout his life lead him to do the unthinkable. However, the story doesn’t end with the mass shooting he committed. There is also the tale of the judgement he faces, and all of his victims are there to see it.
Conway masterfully details all the things that Stephen went through that pushed him to the point of committing such a heinous act. Even though this version of Stephen Paddock is fictional, he is still written realistically. His father is also a well-developed character in the story. Conway manages to make the reader feel for these characters. Yet, even if they come off as sympathetic at times, it doesn’t take away from the awfulness of the acts they commit. It is also sad to read about the two best friends who later become victims of the shooting. Conway tells of their happy lives growing up and the close relationships they had with each other and their families. This makes it all the more heartbreaking knowing what will inevitably end up happening to them.
The only major problem with this book is the grammatical mistakes. There were easily over ten mistakes in the entire book. One of them, on page 37, was a piece of dialogue that read, “I said let me see that eye Benny!” Even though everything else about this book was well done, the errors were distracting. It’s nothing that another round of editing can’t fix, though. Once it’s polished up, this book will be a perfect read.
I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. The story flows very well and the characters are all amazing. There is a clear contrast between the evil that plagued the shooter’s life, and the good that surrounded the victims’ lives. I would have given this book a 4 out of 4 if not for the grammar errors. I recommend this book to anyone who likes fictional retellings of real events. This wouldn’t be the best book for those who find violent acts disturbing or triggering, however.
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Who Trespass Against Us
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