Writers Tricks of the Trade Issue 6, Volume 6 | Page 27

REVIEWS BY MARTHA
MARTHA A. CHEVES — RESIDENT REVIEWER

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BETTER OFF WITHOUT HER
THE WESTERN SERIAL KILLER SERIES - BOOK 1
By: Rita Hestand
ISBN: 978-1492232650
Publisher: Createspace
MARTHA CHEVES
AUTHOR/REVIEWER

Publication Date: January 3, 2014
Pages: 254
Kindle, paperback
"Now you stay there, boy," Victor said turning back to Hattie. "You will pay
for punishing him. You'll all pay. I'll see to it myself. He didn't do anything
wrong." He threw her up against the wall, her body made a thudding sound,
and she groaned aloud, trying desperately to move. He picked her up again,
lifted her high into the air, and this time his fingers closed around her throat
until they met. Her feet jerked, her head sagged against his arm, and her
breath finally sighed from her body as he let her fall to the floor. The thrill it
gave him to kill subsided quickly. He shook his head and he stared at her limp
body. He ought to feel something aside from this crazy surge in his head, but
he didn't. He couldn't. "Ain't right to punish a kid...Why does all you folks got
to punish 'em?' John T. tried to tackle him, tears streaming down his face, his
voice at high-pitched scream, but Victor didn't budge. He took his knife from
his boot and proceeded to cut off her wedding finger, while the boy continued
to batter him with his small fists. The solid gold ring on her finger bounced and
rolled on the floor, making a strange music in the air... Victor stuck the finger in
his pocket, the blood still dripping from it.
I've read books by Author Rita Hestand before and found her books very
enjoyable. But, Better Off Without Her was a total surprise to me. It is far from
the romance novels I've read by this author in the past. This is a story that
would fit perfectly into the series 'Criminal Minds' if they could take their
stories back a century. This is the story of a serial killer who believes he is
rescuing the children that are being punished by their mothers for doing
something they shouldn't have done. It's the story of one of those children
growing up and his search for revenge. But it’s also the story of what made this
madman feel he had to defend the children.

WRITERS’ TRICKS OF THE TRADE

PAGE
19

RITA HESTAND, AUTHOR

NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2016