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Why? A Courtroom Drama of Self-Discovery
Dartmouth professor Dan Jackson did not want to murder his students. Yet, when he finds two pistols perched on top of the mid-term exams in his briefcase, he cannot resist the impulse to pull out the guns and start shooting. Now Dan struggles to find the answer to the question that haunts him: why did he kill 15 of his students? Dan’s search for the answer must be pursued through his defense to the criminal charges and possible death penalty.
However, his grizzled, pony-tailed lawyer does not want to know why Dan shot his students - he wants to use Dan's ignorance as the basis for an insanity defense. That defense opens the door for prosecution and defense psychiatrists to probe for the answer in Dan’s troubled past, with seemingly inconclusive results. Dan still holds out hope that the answer will be revealed during a trial that is filled with surprise testimony and withering cross-examinations. But if the answer is discovered, will it provide Dan with the solace he desires?
However, his grizzled, pony-tailed lawyer does not want to know why Dan shot his students - he wants to use Dan's ignorance as the basis for an insanity defense. That defense opens the door for prosecution and defense psychiatrists to probe for the answer in Dan’s troubled past, with seemingly inconclusive results. Dan still holds out hope that the answer will be revealed during a trial that is filled with surprise testimony and withering cross-examinations. But if the answer is discovered, will it provide Dan with the solace he desires?
318 pages, Paperback
First published May 27, 2014
4 people want to read
About the author
R.H. King Jr.
1 bookR. H. ("Bob") King, Jr. is a partner in the law firm of Dentons US LLP, formerly known as Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal. He is a graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Michigan Law School, and attended Harvard Law School for one year as a visiting student. He is admitted to the state bars of Illinois, California and Montana, and has tried cases and argued appeals in state and federal courts across the country. Bob is an avid fly fisherman, cyclist, and tennis player. He is a member of the Chicago Writers Association. Bob has three grown children (Ryan, Morgan and Andrew) and lives in the Chicago suburbs with his wife, Robin, and dog, Legend.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 4, 2014
4.5 stars I can't think of another book that captivated me so much, that I passed it around to family and friends. However, there was one element that bothered us all, which warranted the book only a 4.5 out of 5. More on that later.
At a time when horrific crimes happen every day, you can’t help but wonder why these things happen. R.H. King, Jr. uses his background as a lawyer to take you into the fictional courtroom to figure out why one person, who has no history of violence, would suddenly pull a gun on his classroom and kill multiple students.
Dan Jackson, a visiting professor at Dartmouth College, opens his briefcase in order to deliver midterm exams when he discovers two handguns. In an almost out-of-body experience, he takes out the guns and fires, killing fifteen students and injuring five others. While he knows what has just happened, he doesn’t know why it happened. He has no memory of purchasing those guns or putting them in his briefcase. He realizes what he’s done and is prepared to face the consequences of his actions, except for the fact that he doesn’t know why he did it. Dan hopes that by pleading “not guilty by reason of insanity,” he’ll be able to figure out why he killed those people and find the peace he needs to accept his punishment.
While it might be hard to sympathize with someone who killed fifteen people, King does a great job making Dan sympathetic. This whole novel seems removed from the crime and the horrors it created. The tragedy is not glorified, and while that sounds insensitive in light of so many school shootings, this novel isn’t really about the crime. To be honest, any crime could have been committed in this book, as long as it got Dan Jackson in the courtroom with his life on the line. This crime, though, works to tug at the emotions of the reader because instinctually we know he’s a horrible person and want him punished. However, he is clearly a lost soul desperate for answers, and it makes the reader torn in terms of what should happen to him.
King’s experience as a lawyer helps to bring the courtroom to life without losing the reader along the way. Everything gets fully explained so that Dan and the reader know what is happening. At first, it seems as if Dan isn’t all that smart since he repeatedly says, “I don’t understand.” As a professor, you would expect him to be a little bit more worldly and smarter, but he has just committed a horrible crime and probably isn’t altogether there. This ignorance also works for the reader, who might want to fully understand psychiatric or legal language. This strategy keeps the story going and doesn’t alienate readers.
With this novel, the author does a great job of drawing the reader in and getting the reader invested in the characters. There’s enough drama in the courtroom that it doesn’t grow stale or monotonous listening to testimony. I was grateful for the twist near the end of the book since I didn’t like the way it would have ended otherwise. However, with the twist, everything finds a way to be neatly tied up in a bow. Not giving anything away about the ending, the twist starts working out great for the story, but then it just works too hard to make everything right and is too picture-perfect for my taste. The novel is not destroyed by the ending, though. In some ways the ending really works to drive home the novel’s theme about forgiveness. However, the ending is what prevented me from giving this novel a full five star rating. In my eyes, one tiny detail needed to be changed, and then it would have been perfect. The fact that the others who I passed the book to agreed with this detail reassured me that I wasn't just nitpicking the book - which was overall awesome. (I don't want to say what it is because of spoilers, but I'll share my opinion of you ask.)
Dan Jackson’s quest for the reason why he suddenly killed his students is a story that delves into someone’s motivation and the things from our past that still haunt us. It is a great novel that draws you in with Dan’s mystery and the tug-of-war with your emotions as you try to figure out what the best outcome would be for this character whom you can’t help but hate on an intellectual level but feel sorry for on an emotional level. This is a book definitely worth picking up.
At a time when horrific crimes happen every day, you can’t help but wonder why these things happen. R.H. King, Jr. uses his background as a lawyer to take you into the fictional courtroom to figure out why one person, who has no history of violence, would suddenly pull a gun on his classroom and kill multiple students.
Dan Jackson, a visiting professor at Dartmouth College, opens his briefcase in order to deliver midterm exams when he discovers two handguns. In an almost out-of-body experience, he takes out the guns and fires, killing fifteen students and injuring five others. While he knows what has just happened, he doesn’t know why it happened. He has no memory of purchasing those guns or putting them in his briefcase. He realizes what he’s done and is prepared to face the consequences of his actions, except for the fact that he doesn’t know why he did it. Dan hopes that by pleading “not guilty by reason of insanity,” he’ll be able to figure out why he killed those people and find the peace he needs to accept his punishment.
While it might be hard to sympathize with someone who killed fifteen people, King does a great job making Dan sympathetic. This whole novel seems removed from the crime and the horrors it created. The tragedy is not glorified, and while that sounds insensitive in light of so many school shootings, this novel isn’t really about the crime. To be honest, any crime could have been committed in this book, as long as it got Dan Jackson in the courtroom with his life on the line. This crime, though, works to tug at the emotions of the reader because instinctually we know he’s a horrible person and want him punished. However, he is clearly a lost soul desperate for answers, and it makes the reader torn in terms of what should happen to him.
King’s experience as a lawyer helps to bring the courtroom to life without losing the reader along the way. Everything gets fully explained so that Dan and the reader know what is happening. At first, it seems as if Dan isn’t all that smart since he repeatedly says, “I don’t understand.” As a professor, you would expect him to be a little bit more worldly and smarter, but he has just committed a horrible crime and probably isn’t altogether there. This ignorance also works for the reader, who might want to fully understand psychiatric or legal language. This strategy keeps the story going and doesn’t alienate readers.
With this novel, the author does a great job of drawing the reader in and getting the reader invested in the characters. There’s enough drama in the courtroom that it doesn’t grow stale or monotonous listening to testimony. I was grateful for the twist near the end of the book since I didn’t like the way it would have ended otherwise. However, with the twist, everything finds a way to be neatly tied up in a bow. Not giving anything away about the ending, the twist starts working out great for the story, but then it just works too hard to make everything right and is too picture-perfect for my taste. The novel is not destroyed by the ending, though. In some ways the ending really works to drive home the novel’s theme about forgiveness. However, the ending is what prevented me from giving this novel a full five star rating. In my eyes, one tiny detail needed to be changed, and then it would have been perfect. The fact that the others who I passed the book to agreed with this detail reassured me that I wasn't just nitpicking the book - which was overall awesome. (I don't want to say what it is because of spoilers, but I'll share my opinion of you ask.)
Dan Jackson’s quest for the reason why he suddenly killed his students is a story that delves into someone’s motivation and the things from our past that still haunt us. It is a great novel that draws you in with Dan’s mystery and the tug-of-war with your emotions as you try to figure out what the best outcome would be for this character whom you can’t help but hate on an intellectual level but feel sorry for on an emotional level. This is a book definitely worth picking up.
March 1, 2020
This book initially intrigued me because I know the author, a lawyer, and because mass murders are today all too common. It's generally quite well written even if the legal process is streamlined, I suppose to make it more palatable for lay readers. However the deus ex machina ending was just too preposterous to satisfy what had been until then a compelling psychological study.
January 5, 2015
"Why? A Courtroom Drama of Self-Discovery by RH King Jr. is going to make you cringe and intrigue you at the same time. Professor Daniel Jackson walks into his classroom, opens his briefcase and looks down at two loaded machine pistols. While he is stunned at the sight, he sees his own hands reach down and pull up both pistols and begin shooting the students until empty. In a trance, he walks out of the classroom and gives himself up to the police out front. This is where the novel gets really controversial because Professor Jackson cannot remember why he shot the students. Is he a master of deception or does he truly not remember what drove him to be a mass murder?
The author, RH King Jr., a lawyer himself, takes us down the pre-trial and trial process with honed skill. The integration, arraignment and twists of the trial have the reader and the professor questioning everything. RH King Jr.’s other skill is how he takes an introspective approach to the main character. The professor becomes a student throughout the novel, a student of the justice system, researching his defenses and options. The professor reaches out to his oldest and seemingly only friend, Tim, who is now a priest. Tim wants him to accept his plight and confess. The professor hires a less than savvy lawyer that he can afford who thinks that he can take the death penalty off the table. The professor wants that also, but he needs wants to know why; why did he do it? More minor characters come into play, a beautiful psychiatric expert for the prosecution, the professor’s ex-wife and her lesbian lover. Professor Jackson’s past boils up quickly during the trial showing his true nature.
The real controversial aspect of this novel is that I for one liked the professor and started hoping that he would get off with an insanity defense almost from the start. As the novel progressed, I began to feel sorry for his circumstances and how the trial was progressing. I also wanted to know why he had done it. RH King Jr. has a knack for drawing you into the professor’s world and then playing with your emotions. I was shocked at the outcome and then doubly shocked at the ending. I can’t wait for another story from this author." TBR-TopBookReviewers
The author, RH King Jr., a lawyer himself, takes us down the pre-trial and trial process with honed skill. The integration, arraignment and twists of the trial have the reader and the professor questioning everything. RH King Jr.’s other skill is how he takes an introspective approach to the main character. The professor becomes a student throughout the novel, a student of the justice system, researching his defenses and options. The professor reaches out to his oldest and seemingly only friend, Tim, who is now a priest. Tim wants him to accept his plight and confess. The professor hires a less than savvy lawyer that he can afford who thinks that he can take the death penalty off the table. The professor wants that also, but he needs wants to know why; why did he do it? More minor characters come into play, a beautiful psychiatric expert for the prosecution, the professor’s ex-wife and her lesbian lover. Professor Jackson’s past boils up quickly during the trial showing his true nature.
The real controversial aspect of this novel is that I for one liked the professor and started hoping that he would get off with an insanity defense almost from the start. As the novel progressed, I began to feel sorry for his circumstances and how the trial was progressing. I also wanted to know why he had done it. RH King Jr. has a knack for drawing you into the professor’s world and then playing with your emotions. I was shocked at the outcome and then doubly shocked at the ending. I can’t wait for another story from this author." TBR-TopBookReviewers
September 2, 2014
Why? offers a new take on both mysteries and courtroom drama, as the central question is not whodunnit or how it was done but, as the title suggests, why? Professor Dan Jackson is completely at a loss as to why he committed murder. He doesn't remember buying the murder weapons, and when he sees them and begins shooting, he feels almost as if he's watching someone else. To his defense attorney's chagrin, he's much more interested in unraveling that issue than defending himself in court, and his best friend adds to that by urging him to have more concern for his spiritual well-being than his life.
I found the characters intriguing, and wanting both to learn what the jury's verdict will be and whether Professor Jackson will gain any answers kept me turning pages. The writing has something of a quiet pace and tone that I really enjoyed while still maintaining tension and conflict. There is a twist at the end that I'm still thinking about (I finished the book over a month ago).
For writers, this is a great book to read for use of first person where it's unclear whether the narrator is reliable. It's also a nice example of how to keep suspense building when the issues are mainly internal. Much of the drama, other than the actual courtroom scenes, involves Professor Jackson's mental and spiritual well-being, and while some authors might struggle to make that work, this author turns it into a compelling story.
I found the characters intriguing, and wanting both to learn what the jury's verdict will be and whether Professor Jackson will gain any answers kept me turning pages. The writing has something of a quiet pace and tone that I really enjoyed while still maintaining tension and conflict. There is a twist at the end that I'm still thinking about (I finished the book over a month ago).
For writers, this is a great book to read for use of first person where it's unclear whether the narrator is reliable. It's also a nice example of how to keep suspense building when the issues are mainly internal. Much of the drama, other than the actual courtroom scenes, involves Professor Jackson's mental and spiritual well-being, and while some authors might struggle to make that work, this author turns it into a compelling story.
October 30, 2014
Book Title: Why?
Author: R. H. King Jr.
Publisher: Walden Road Publishing
ISBN: 9780990340003
Reviewed by Michele Tater of The Couch Tater Review
“The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?"
Pablo Picasso
Why indeed. What causes a Professor to come to class with two guns and without warning, start shooting at his students. Surely, he must be insane to have committed such a crime or was he? Dan Jackson just wants answers just like the town does, but going to trial to is the only way he sees in finding them. Just another court room drama theme book right? Wrong so very wrong. Wait for the end, that holy crap what just happen conclusion. The reader with go from why? to What the f*** just happen?
Think this might just be the normal book about a terrible crime and the justice system righting the wrong book, I was going to rate it a 4 out of 5. What changed my mind was the ending that I didn’t see coming---at all. I can not even hint at what it is because I don’t believe in giving spoils in my reviews. So guess what? Yes that is right....you will have to read the book. No cheating and only reading the ending either, trust me it is more dramatic when you read the entire book. Here is hoping Mr. King has some more amazing books in the making; I am planning on reading them.
Author: R. H. King Jr.
Publisher: Walden Road Publishing
ISBN: 9780990340003
Reviewed by Michele Tater of The Couch Tater Review
“The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?"
Pablo Picasso
Why indeed. What causes a Professor to come to class with two guns and without warning, start shooting at his students. Surely, he must be insane to have committed such a crime or was he? Dan Jackson just wants answers just like the town does, but going to trial to is the only way he sees in finding them. Just another court room drama theme book right? Wrong so very wrong. Wait for the end, that holy crap what just happen conclusion. The reader with go from why? to What the f*** just happen?
Think this might just be the normal book about a terrible crime and the justice system righting the wrong book, I was going to rate it a 4 out of 5. What changed my mind was the ending that I didn’t see coming---at all. I can not even hint at what it is because I don’t believe in giving spoils in my reviews. So guess what? Yes that is right....you will have to read the book. No cheating and only reading the ending either, trust me it is more dramatic when you read the entire book. Here is hoping Mr. King has some more amazing books in the making; I am planning on reading them.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews