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The Courage to Kill
The young UC graduate went to her father’s beachside condo the night he was killed, but she doesn’t remember shooting him. Janice Parrish had plenty of reasons to hate her father after recalling the memories of him abusing her as a child, memories brought out in psychotherapy. But even as Janice is booked on murder charges, she knows she was not the only one at his house that night. Could she have shot the father she loved?
So begins Janice’s dark journey through a terrifying psychological wasteland of false memory and real murder.
When veteran crime reporter Ray Myers digs up evidence of that abuse, he’s suddenly not just the eminent media darling but becomes dangerously entangled, along with Janice, in a mind-bending web of betrayal and multiple murders.
In a race against time, Myers must save his own family and Janice from a psychopath slaughtering people in a grisly pursuit for revenge.
THE COURAGE TO KILL is a superb portrayal of the malleability of therapeutic treatments for repressed memory, a controversy that has transfixed and confounded the mental health profession more than any other subject since Freud.
So begins Janice’s dark journey through a terrifying psychological wasteland of false memory and real murder.
When veteran crime reporter Ray Myers digs up evidence of that abuse, he’s suddenly not just the eminent media darling but becomes dangerously entangled, along with Janice, in a mind-bending web of betrayal and multiple murders.
In a race against time, Myers must save his own family and Janice from a psychopath slaughtering people in a grisly pursuit for revenge.
THE COURAGE TO KILL is a superb portrayal of the malleability of therapeutic treatments for repressed memory, a controversy that has transfixed and confounded the mental health profession more than any other subject since Freud.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2013
8 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
January 24, 2014
I would have given this book a six star if it was possible. It has all the ingredients for a well-driven thriller with strong characters.
The writing is strong, short and concise, like a series of well directed punches. Ron Argo is a man of a few very well chosen words and he has the courage to write. You can’t help but run with the characters, wherever they are running to. Strong willed and daring to go behind the skin of female or male motivation to harm. He also has a panache for merciless stories in a city of beautiful landscapes. This is not a book for lazy afternoons as the suspense will keep you on the tip of your chair and you won’t be able to put it down.
The writing is strong, short and concise, like a series of well directed punches. Ron Argo is a man of a few very well chosen words and he has the courage to write. You can’t help but run with the characters, wherever they are running to. Strong willed and daring to go behind the skin of female or male motivation to harm. He also has a panache for merciless stories in a city of beautiful landscapes. This is not a book for lazy afternoons as the suspense will keep you on the tip of your chair and you won’t be able to put it down.
January 21, 2014
The fallacies of the malleability in the treatment for repressed memory'
It is a rather shaking experience to see a new book by an author who made such and impression, especially of those of us who severed in the Vietnam war in any capacity, when he published his vitriolic and terrifically powerful and well observed novel about that heinous mistake of a war - YEAR OF THE MONKEY. But here he is almost 25 years later with another incisive exploration of the way the human mind under duress continues to function - or malfunction. Born in Alabama, Ron Argo began his career in journalism in 1968 by falling into the draft to be sent to Vietnam where he gathered the stories that continue to haunt us today. After returning stateside he continued his studies in San Diego State University and the University of Arizona and eventually his response to his memoires of the Vietnam atrocity resulted in this 1989 publication of that important war novel. He is a prize-winning journalist and photographer and continues to write about the troubling inconsistencies of life as we are living it, whether that be the civil rights battle of the 60s or infant smuggling. In this current novel he explores false memory and the mind and action of serial killing.
Ray "Magic" Myers, San Diego's top crime reporter, determines to demonstrate the innocence of a young woman accused in the recent murder of her abusive father. But not only must Ray protect the tormented suspect--who has barely recovered her early memories of abuse, and who claims to have no memory of killing her father--but he must also save himself and his own family as a psychopathic killer stalks revenge. The issues that crowd the pages of this rather terrifying novel include examination of that labyrinth of recovered memories, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, betrayal, and violence. `A psychological mystery, THE COURAGE TO KILL is a superb portrayal of the fallacies of the malleability in the treatment for repressed memory, a controversial subject whose impact has most fixated the mental health profession since Freud.'
One of the reasons Ron Argo's writing stings is his journalistic delineation of every aspect of his writing: these are not only characters that he has constructed, these are also maladies of a world inept at coping with mental states we cannot understand and thus avoid. For those who love thriller novels, this is a must read. For those who care to venture into unknown psychological dysfunction, pay very close attention here.
It is a rather shaking experience to see a new book by an author who made such and impression, especially of those of us who severed in the Vietnam war in any capacity, when he published his vitriolic and terrifically powerful and well observed novel about that heinous mistake of a war - YEAR OF THE MONKEY. But here he is almost 25 years later with another incisive exploration of the way the human mind under duress continues to function - or malfunction. Born in Alabama, Ron Argo began his career in journalism in 1968 by falling into the draft to be sent to Vietnam where he gathered the stories that continue to haunt us today. After returning stateside he continued his studies in San Diego State University and the University of Arizona and eventually his response to his memoires of the Vietnam atrocity resulted in this 1989 publication of that important war novel. He is a prize-winning journalist and photographer and continues to write about the troubling inconsistencies of life as we are living it, whether that be the civil rights battle of the 60s or infant smuggling. In this current novel he explores false memory and the mind and action of serial killing.
Ray "Magic" Myers, San Diego's top crime reporter, determines to demonstrate the innocence of a young woman accused in the recent murder of her abusive father. But not only must Ray protect the tormented suspect--who has barely recovered her early memories of abuse, and who claims to have no memory of killing her father--but he must also save himself and his own family as a psychopathic killer stalks revenge. The issues that crowd the pages of this rather terrifying novel include examination of that labyrinth of recovered memories, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, betrayal, and violence. `A psychological mystery, THE COURAGE TO KILL is a superb portrayal of the fallacies of the malleability in the treatment for repressed memory, a controversial subject whose impact has most fixated the mental health profession since Freud.'
One of the reasons Ron Argo's writing stings is his journalistic delineation of every aspect of his writing: these are not only characters that he has constructed, these are also maladies of a world inept at coping with mental states we cannot understand and thus avoid. For those who love thriller novels, this is a must read. For those who care to venture into unknown psychological dysfunction, pay very close attention here.
June 30, 2014
This would have been a 4 star rating if not for several grammatical and spelling errors – “There demeanor rigid, like prisoners” - and awkward bits that would have benefited from copy proofing – “She might not should have.” Verb tense shifting within single sentences was jarring – “He said hi to Richie and ask if he made pictures today”, “Max Cullen only look bored waving him over”. If this is not something that personally bothers you while reading a book, The Courage to Kill is an entertaining read.
Set in San Diego, the plot rotates around a disturbed young woman accused of murdering her father. She has no recollection of the crime. She did, however, loath her father due to recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. An investigative reporter, Myers, covers the story and becomes caught between professional reporting and personal feelings toward the accused and events.
Recovered-memory therapy remains a controversial subject that uses unproven interviewing techniques, often by a questionably educated therapist. Argo does a good job of showing the impact of RMT in layman’s terms, without the writing being instructional. His research is strong, and it adds to the suspense of the plot. His characters are interesting and well developed. For the most part, his dialogue is strong. There are parts that feel as if he wrote them in a rush, and Argo occasionally loses his voice.
This is a typical “whodunit” that has a strong mystery component.
Set in San Diego, the plot rotates around a disturbed young woman accused of murdering her father. She has no recollection of the crime. She did, however, loath her father due to recovered memories of childhood sexual abuse. An investigative reporter, Myers, covers the story and becomes caught between professional reporting and personal feelings toward the accused and events.
Recovered-memory therapy remains a controversial subject that uses unproven interviewing techniques, often by a questionably educated therapist. Argo does a good job of showing the impact of RMT in layman’s terms, without the writing being instructional. His research is strong, and it adds to the suspense of the plot. His characters are interesting and well developed. For the most part, his dialogue is strong. There are parts that feel as if he wrote them in a rush, and Argo occasionally loses his voice.
This is a typical “whodunit” that has a strong mystery component.
August 12, 2016
To put it plainly, this book was superb and wildly intense. This is far from a light read, but at the same time, once you start reading it, you won't be stopping any time soon. Murder mystery thrillers have always been a favorite of mine, but combining that with an extremely well-researched and informational exploration of mental health and memory suppression made it a strange mixture of medicine and fiction that was legitimately brilliant. I can usually sniff out a storyline, a killer, or a cliffhanger from a few chapters away at least, but The Courage to Kill was a unique challenge for me. Everything in the story was engaging, from the plot to the characters to the backstory to the syntax itself. All in all, it is a significant achievement and I think the character of Janice is so amorphous and changeable throughout the novel that I honestly never understood quite what to make of her. As more and more is revealed about her, and as Myers digs deeper, readers will be pleasantly sucked in to a rare, enthralling story. I will definitely be picking up some more of Argo's work in the future, just to see if he can keep me guessing more than once. Honestly, you won't be disappointed.
July 4, 2014
Janice Parrish is a 27-year-old with a horrible secret. As a child, she was sexually molested by her father, according to her therapist. When her father is murdered, she remembers being at his house around the time of the incident, but her memory is otherwise blank. She is indicted, but crime reporter Ray Myers thinks a mistake has been made and he seeks the truth. His search, however, puts both him and Janice in danger from a mysterious psychopath who has just started a killing spree.
The reader is kept on tenterhooks for a good part of the book, trying to figure out who did what to whom. Is Parrish really suffering from recalled memories, or is she a manipulative killer? Or, is she being manipulated? In the end, all of these questions are answered, but not before you’re taken on a serpentine ride through the dark recesses of twisted minds.
The Courage to Kill by Ron Argo is a twisted tale of suspense and psychological manipulation that will give you chills. I received a free copy in exchange for my review. This is a story that once you start reading is hard to put down. Argo uses prose like some of the old noire writers, but in this case it fits perfectly.
The reader is kept on tenterhooks for a good part of the book, trying to figure out who did what to whom. Is Parrish really suffering from recalled memories, or is she a manipulative killer? Or, is she being manipulated? In the end, all of these questions are answered, but not before you’re taken on a serpentine ride through the dark recesses of twisted minds.
The Courage to Kill by Ron Argo is a twisted tale of suspense and psychological manipulation that will give you chills. I received a free copy in exchange for my review. This is a story that once you start reading is hard to put down. Argo uses prose like some of the old noire writers, but in this case it fits perfectly.
June 26, 2014
The story wasn't bad, rather typical whodunit. The addition of the memory loss (dissociative disorder) was a nice touch, but it seemed to be somewhat of a contrivance, but within the realm of possibility.
The main drawback, however, was the quality of the writing, which, to me, really detracted from what otherwise would a been a pleasurable book.
A number of misspellings in the book. Frequent grammar and punctuation errors. Things a good proof reader would have caught. Also, I thought the writer did not do a good job with the "hard boiled" writing style, it's hard to do, I personally don't think even Cormac McCarthy pulls that off well.
The writer needs to work on his dialog, it seemed stilted, not realistic, and many times placed in the book simply to inform the reader.
Not a bad try, but should have been edited a few times to even out the story, clear up dialog issues. And most importantly, the book needed to be proofread a few times to clean up the text.
I received this book free in exchange for an unbiased review.
The main drawback, however, was the quality of the writing, which, to me, really detracted from what otherwise would a been a pleasurable book.
A number of misspellings in the book. Frequent grammar and punctuation errors. Things a good proof reader would have caught. Also, I thought the writer did not do a good job with the "hard boiled" writing style, it's hard to do, I personally don't think even Cormac McCarthy pulls that off well.
The writer needs to work on his dialog, it seemed stilted, not realistic, and many times placed in the book simply to inform the reader.
Not a bad try, but should have been edited a few times to even out the story, clear up dialog issues. And most importantly, the book needed to be proofread a few times to clean up the text.
I received this book free in exchange for an unbiased review.
February 13, 2014
The Courage to Kill is a thriller novel about Janice Parrish, a late 20’s real estate broker who is struggling to come to terms with horrible memories that she had forgotten from her childhood. When Janice, or as she likes to be called, Jay walks into a bar one night she’s disoriented and can’t seem to remember anything, not even her name. She knows that something is terribly wrong but can’t figure out what. She somehow manages to get home, but before she can figure out what’s going on, she’s greeted at the door by the police who have accused her of her father’s murder. As her life spins further out of control, Jay is in a race against all odds to put the pieces back together before it’s too late.
This book addresses some sensitive issues including child molestation and incest. None-the-less, Ron Argo tells an excellent story that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This book addresses some sensitive issues including child molestation and incest. None-the-less, Ron Argo tells an excellent story that will keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
February 13, 2014
Janice Parrish, a late 20’s real estate broker in San Diego, CA learns of traumatic events involving her father through repressed memory therapy, or does she. Through this therapy “Jay” meets others who have suffered at the hands of a family member like she did and her life begins to spin out of control. The Courage to Kill by Ron Argo is a thriller novel that revolves around the murder of Jay’s father. The crime is pinned on her, but she can’t remember the events of the evening. Follow Jay as she learns what happened the night of her father’s death and tries to clean up the mess that follows.
In Argo’s efforts to address the controversial treatment of repressed memory loss therapy, as well as the topics of child molestation and incest, he takes us on a riveting journey to try to save Jay in more ways than one. Not a book that I would normally pick and it turned out to be great.
In Argo’s efforts to address the controversial treatment of repressed memory loss therapy, as well as the topics of child molestation and incest, he takes us on a riveting journey to try to save Jay in more ways than one. Not a book that I would normally pick and it turned out to be great.
June 25, 2014
Opening with a haunting flashback in a Pacific Northwest forest, this novel takes off like a bottle rocket on the Fourth of July and never slackens its pace. The splenetic vitriol of the letter written to Joe by his daughter Janice (40 pages into the book) was haunting in its authenticity and remains fresh in my mind after finishing the story. On a picky note, this book deserved another pass with the editor to avoid mistakes like, "Suddenly becoming soft and boneless, like wilted pedals on a flower." (Should be petals; Chapter 27) and “It illuminated the land like a flair.” (Should be flare; Chapter 40). Even in the aforementioned letter, I believe the “can” in the sentence “What hurts is knowing there are other sick fathers who can control themselves” should be “can’t.” Small stuff like that aside, bravo! Job well done.
April 7, 2015
THE COURAGE TO KILL by Ron Argo starts in a terrible place and moves into the thoughts of a highly disoriented person where it stays for too long, until we tumble into a straightforward exchange between two reporters for whom I didn’t care enough. I was going to quit the story but for the voice in my ear telling me to persevere—I’d corresponded with the author on social media and he’d struck me as an intriguing man with a way of talking about the story which enticed me. Tucked into those comments was hidden a beautiful accusation of the effects of the Vietnam war on those who served, from those who stayed home and protested. The story mutates again and again, wandering effortlessly between the horrors of war, child abuse, neglect and revenge.
And then everything happens so fast you can’t put the book down.
What an incredible story!
And then everything happens so fast you can’t put the book down.
What an incredible story!
July 14, 2014
I received a free download of this book from Story Cartel, thank you!
This book was an intriguing read for me. The human mind is so easily manipulated, it's scary. I had my doubts about Jay's guilt from the beginning, and I also had doubts about her father's guilt. I found myself rooting for both of them to be exonerated.
The author also gives us a peek into the disturbed mind of the killer, which was pretty scary as well.
I was slightly distracted by numerous misspellings and grammar errors throughout the book, but the story itself held my interest to the end.
I would recommend this story to readers who enjoy thriller and mystery stories, and I would read more by this author.
This book was an intriguing read for me. The human mind is so easily manipulated, it's scary. I had my doubts about Jay's guilt from the beginning, and I also had doubts about her father's guilt. I found myself rooting for both of them to be exonerated.
The author also gives us a peek into the disturbed mind of the killer, which was pretty scary as well.
I was slightly distracted by numerous misspellings and grammar errors throughout the book, but the story itself held my interest to the end.
I would recommend this story to readers who enjoy thriller and mystery stories, and I would read more by this author.
September 1, 2016
Janice Parrish can’t bury the memories of sexual abuse, at the hands of her father. Ironically, she can’t remember the events the night he was murdered at his beach house. With the assistance of a crime solving reporter named Ray Meyers, both are able to reconstruct the events of that night. As they gravitate closer to the truth, a stalker crosses paths with them with a goal to silence them both.
Courage to Kill is an awesome suspense novel. Argo is a talented author with panache for storytelling in an action packed and suspenseful way. Another winner that I happily give 5 stars!
Courage to Kill is an awesome suspense novel. Argo is a talented author with panache for storytelling in an action packed and suspenseful way. Another winner that I happily give 5 stars!
June 22, 2014
Good read, Both as a thriller but also, with several psychological issues that vets and child abuse people struggle with, we'll worth the read!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews