Equation for Evil

by Philip Caputo

On a quiet morning in California, a lone gunman opens fire on a busload of children headed for a field trip, then turns the gun on himself. Forensic psychiatrist Leander Heartwood and special agent Gabriel Chin team up to investigate the case, seeking at first only to solve this single disturbing crime but in time delving into issues of race, morality, and the complex forces at work in all horrifying acts of violence.

Part mystery, part psychological thriller, part piercing social commentary, Equation for Evil is a riveting and incisive meditation on violence and the nature of evil.

Genres: Fiction, Crime, Mystery

624 pages, Paperback

First published May 23, 1996

About the author

American author and journalist. Author of 18 books, including the upcoming MEMORY AND DESIRE (Sept. 2023). Best known for A Rumor of War, a best-selling memoir of his experiences during the Vietnam War. Website: PhilipCaputo.com

Reviews

[Carol Storm · Rating 1 out of 5]

When good Marines go bad -- they write lame crime thrillers that suck!

Philip Caputo stunned the world with his Vietnam memoir, A RUMOR OF WAR. Later he became a successful journalist. Unfortunately the urge to "cash in" and write a commercial thriller caused him to write this incredibly lame, junky novel -- it's like Jonathan Kellerman, lots of grotesque violence, macho posturing, and cartoony moralizing from a guy who's credible on fighting but weak on everything else.

[Steve Cushman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1996, this story about a mass murder hate crime, could easily have been written and published in 2022. Pretty depressing that 26 years have passed and we have made little to no headway toward acceptance and tolerance of our fellow mankind. Pretty depressing that hundreds of years have passed, and we have made little to NO headway toward acceptance and tolerance of our fellow mankind’s, race, religion, politics, et Al.

Caputo is always good, always thought provoking.

[Marc Cullison · Rating 5 out of 5]

A chilling and provocative story of how easily the human psyche can be broken. Although published several years ago, the storyline is still valid today. Several scenes from the book could have been written from contemporary news reports, the effects and tragedies being much the same. I believe the book presents a vivid picture of how things can go wrong in a person’s mind and how those misaligned feelings can lead to disaster. An intriguing story.

[Mark Shapiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could’ve been amazing, if it wasn’t so mind-numbingly boring. The criminal (and the crime, minus the fact that he shot up a bus) is lifted from the 1989 Stockton schoolyard shooting. This is never mentioned as far as I could tell, but it is beyond obvious if you have a cursory knowledge of the shooting. It is beyond boring, the chapters seem to drag on and on. Death is a preferable alternative to reading this book so, in a way, the kids got off easy.

[Sharon McNair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dark & ugly! I was glad to finish it….

[A Turtles Nest Book Reviews · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a bad book, but nothing like the praises portray it. Good story line, but took me so long to finish because some parts just dragged on. I give praise for the truth in racism and the horribly acts people commit. The book was just to drug out with not many "grab your attention scenes".

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fairly fast-paved mystery-come psychological study-of what motivates mass killings, in this case of Asian kids on a field trip in No California. Psychiatrist Heartwood and Agent (not “officer”) Chin team on a post-crime profile of the dead perpetrator only to find that he did not act alone and that more horror was to come, unless…. . The strength “to continue” in the face of individual driven chaos and mass hysteria provided by Asian philosophy is an underlying theme of the novel.

[Snotchocheez · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-executed thriller by Philip Caputo, the somewhat-dubiously-titled "Equation for Evil" observes the psychological manifestations of mass-murderers (specifically, in this case, a guy who shoots up a school bus full of kids en route to a field trip Sutter's Mill in Central California) and finds an even more lurid method to the madman's madness.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well-written thriller, dealing with racism and why people do the terrible things they do. Couple of twists and turns. Definitely a page turner.

[Marty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn;t realize this was a novel....it read as non fiction. A very interesting account of tracking down a mass murderer. I really thought it was a true story, esp the manner that it was written.