Book Review: One on One by Michael Kelso

     Emil Sorn had felt that inmates were treated too kindly ever since his father was killed in the prison. As a guard he should have been safe from the dregs of society, but since he wasn't it became Sorn's mission to rectify that oversight. No longer would inmates get a free vacation at the people's expense just so they could get out and do it again. And the perfect place to start is the prison his father was killed in. 

    I received this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review. I can honestly say that this book is the first I have read that has taken place in a prison. At least for more than a few scenes. This one takes place almost entirely in a prison. 

    Sorn has a very black and white mindset, but only when it applies to the inmates. Everyone else, himself included, not so much. I can't say that I agree with his policy. This could also be because I come from a family of convicts, but none of them have killed anyone. At least not in my immediate family. My great uncle is another story, but we won't get into that. He's relatively harmless now that he's in his 80s. I know that victims of crimes and their families aren't always happy with the sentence someone receives at the hands of justice and I agree that they sometimes get off easy. What happens in that room, though, goes above and beyond. An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind as the saying goes. But, I'm not here to bring morality into the plot of a book. 

    I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It is engaging and will make you think rather than just a mindless story that flows over you. It is something that I am sure many people have considered at some point in time or another. Frankly I hope it isn't as easy as it was made to seem in this book to implement, but still. 

    We get an idea of both victims that want to take revenge as well as those that just want to move past it and help those who committed the crimes be a betterment to society upon release. Because of those opposing views we book doesn't feel unbalanced. Nor does it read like a report. You are there for every second of Emil's journey through his time in Larson. My favorite character in the book was Alice. She got to see the good and the bad first hand and still wanted to help. When I first met her I have to admit I wasn't her biggest fan. She seemed shallow, but as the book continued she had the most depth and compassion. 

    This story is about someone in a position of power abusing that place. There is a lot of violence, sex, love, loss, and everything else within these pages which makes it all the more realistic. It feels like something that could happen or even has happened.  

    This book is available on Amazon for $6.99 by clicking here.