Henry's List of Wrongs [Hardcover]

John Scott Shepherd (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 9, 2002

Ever wish you could go back and make it right?

Henry Chase is every woman's worst nightmare. Nicknamed "The Assassin" by his Wall Street brethren, he'll lie, seduce, betray, manipulate-- whatever it takes-- to stay on top, in the boardroom and the bedroom. There's not a speck of humanity left in his steely soul until one night when his conscience catches him by surprise and demands a reckoning.

With the help of a mysterious young woman, Henry confesses to a list-- a list of the lives he has ruined in the pursuit of power and riches.

Prodded by his newly found alter ego, Henry embarks on a road trip of redemption-- he sets out to make it right for those in his past, and maybe for himself in the future.

For anyone who ever wondered just what makes a man tick, Henry's List of Wrongs exposes the inner workings of the male mind, its carefully hidden motivations, desires, and fears.

A story with humor, romance, and sting, it might even make you confront your own list of regrets.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

An entertaining account of a corporate shark's search for redemption, John Scott Shepherd's first novel, Henry's List of Wrongs, has the virtues of snappy dialogue, quick plot shifts, and readability. Henry Chase, known to business friends and foes as The Assassin, has molded his life in response to the cruelty of his prom date, the beautiful, wealthy Elizabeth Waring, who crowned their perfect evening by rejecting his love. Ten years later, when his abs and his heart are both hard as steel, Henry returns to his hometown to rub Elizabeth's bad decision in her face. Instead, he learns something that forces him to reconsider every move he's made since that night and to take account of the damage he's caused. Shepherd is an accomplished screenwriter (Life, or Something Like It), and while his novel is enjoyable light reading, it's hard not to picture it as a movie (screen rights have already been sold). Emotions are painted broadly: the highs are a little bright and tangy, the lows darker and more ominous than in life. The plot twists often seem calculated: artificial obstructions are thrown in front of Henry like tacks on the road. And after a whip-smart opening reminiscent of David Foster Wallace, Shepherd's prose remains limber but undistinctive. --Regina Marler

From Publishers Weekly

Screenwriter Shepherd's first novel tells the entertaining if somewhat jerry-built story of a heartless cad's quest for love and redemption. As a senior in high school, Henry Chase is a wimp, with family problems to boot. He's elated when the girl of his dreams agrees to be his prom date, but on prom night she dumps him, hardening his heart and his resolve to succeed. Ten years later, Henry has mercilessly clawed his way to the top of the New York financial world, earning himself the nickname "The Assassin." But on a trip back to his home state of Kansas, he has an attack of conscience in a Wichita hotel room and is rescued by a mysterious chambermaid, Sophie Reilly, who insists that he make a list of the people he has wronged. The two of them set off on a cross-country odyssey, over the course of which Henry must make amends and seek forgiveness. Few of his victims are eager to grant him absolution, and more than one attacks him with blunt objects. Nevertheless, Henry perseveres, and as the journey continues he becomes more and more attracted to Sophie, whom, we soon learn, has secrets of her own. Like a screenplay, the novel is very visual and dialogue-based. There are gaping holes in the plot, and readers' emotions are shamelessly manipulated. Still, Shepherd taps successfully into the universal fantasy of revisiting the past, and the book should twang the heartstrings of readers willing to play along. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 292 pages
• Publisher: Rugged Land; 1 edition (April 9, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590710010
• ISBN-13: 978-1590710012
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,815,261 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Add this to the list of wrongs. . ., June 25, 2002

By 

Kevin Fink "finkles2000" (Lawrence, KS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Henry's List of Wrongs (Hardcover)

The book starts off well enough, but after the prologue, it goes waaaay downhill. If I hadn't lived in Kansas (where a lot of the book takes place) I would have put the book down after the first couple of chapters. It's painfully obvious the author wants this to be a movie - why he didn't simply write a screenplay, I'll never know. I expected the words "extreme close-up" to pop up any second. The dialogue is mostly fluff and cliche, and the characters are stock. The "guy who lost his heart" meets "the wacky girl" and blah blah blah. "Wacky Girl" has a past, which takes the reader all of 5 seconds to figure out. The reader can't help but picture Ben Affleck and Sandra Bullock or Sarah Jessica Parker saying these lines (and that's exactly what Shepherd wants you to do). If this was only a movie, and I saw it, I would have found it mildly amusing. Since it was a book, I simply found it completely annoying. Apparently, this book is going to be a movie soon (there's a schocker). But with "Life Or Something Like It" failing at the box office, I can't help but see this one doing the same. Save your money, and check it out at your local library.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars It's Craptacular Sentimental Pap!, October 22, 2003

By 

Miranda Dwyer - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry's List of Wrongs (Paperback)

I finished this book, threw it across the room and yelled a swear.

It's drivel based soley on melodrama that really goes no where. No hurtle is crossed, nothing is lost, and nothing is really at risk. The guy is a jerk, he decides not to be a jerk (a big step) and goes about doing it. In the process of not being a jerk, he's a jerk. Everyone forgives him with almost no resentment or question, and we are supposed to be moved by this? Bugger off!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes you wonder, September 17, 2005

By 

Insatiable Reader (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Henry's List of Wrongs (Paperback)

Novelists should be daunted by moments when a character describes his feelings. Shepherd, however, has the worst debriefing habit I've ever seen. Characters often discuss a scene that has just passed before readers' eyes, gambling that what the character says will align with what the reader feels. In this novel, people often say how much they were moved. What happens, however, if the reader wasn't, or, worse, if the scene before left the reader flat? In Shepherd's novel, we are supposed to believe in Henry's transformation. Through righting a list of wrongs, Henry "The Assassin" Chase is supposed to rediscover the idealist he once was. It's a fun premise, but for me the "supposed to" was its most vivid element. I never reacted as Shepherd thought I should, and who moves a reader by proffering he or she ought to react?