[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of “Point the Finger of Blame” by Derek Smith.]
Point the Finger of Blame by Derek Smith is a Historical Fiction novel that shows how war can affect those involved and the ever lasting damage it can have on all those involved’s mental state. More importantly it shows how soldier’s were treated while performing their duties and then made to pick their own lives back up once they were returned to the civilian world. This is a story that held me captive from the moment I first picked the book up to read to the very last page.
The story began getting to know Jimmy McLeod’s parents and their back ground. As the story progresses Jimmy wants to follow in his father’s footsteps to be a game keeper on the estate that his family lives on. Only with the economy suffering he finds himself unable to. Taking up a job, working for a gunsmith, he continues to build skills that will set him up for the near future. All of this sets him up for when he is called up to serve his country and queen during the Korean War. The story shows how every decision yup make can have life altering affects on you and the people around you. It also shows how there wasn’t much if any help for soldiers during that time once they finished their duty and were sent back to pick up their own lives where they left off. When Jimmy is released from his duties he tries to pick his life up where he left off but soon realized that he preferred being alone as he had been most of his tour in Korea. Moving around he continues to live the single life and finds himself going from job to job. The ending brings a very much unexpected twist when murders start happening and when you think the mystery is solved, Jimmy falls ill and on his death bed, he explains who really committed the crimes and how they were really done.
This story has made the list as one of my favorites. The foreshadowing in the beginning, the character development making the characters easily relate-able and almost seemed as if you knew them, to the twist at the end, I do believe the twist was my favorite because it is not something that is unexpected but weighs heavily on the main characters past decisions and actions and how they ultimately affect him. He practically has no family and no real friends. He found peace in solitude and with the wildlife that he has loved dearly since he was a young boy, as he continues to grow older and starts to fall ill, his trips to go fishing become less and less frequent as he life becomes difficult.
I can honestly say there wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about this novel. The plot was laid out perfectly, the characters were very real and allowed the reader to feel connected to them. The foreshadowing in the beginning in a way set the mood of foreboding for the entire book. As the story begins to come to a close and murders start taking place the author gives no clues that Jimmy is in any way has taken up killing until he is on his deathbed. I felt a lot of emotion throughout the story, particularly this part, mostly sympathy for what he had had to endure as a soldier in that time and the difficulties he had to face from that point up until he died.
I rate Point the Finger of Blame a a 4 out of 4 stars because it truly was a great read. The descriptive detail, character development and the events in the beginning set the story up perfectly for the story. I would recommend this story to readers of all genres because it does hold weight to how soldier’s in the past were treated or rather overlooked and how what goes on in the battle field can do to the mental state for those involved.
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