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To Protect the Innocent

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To Protect the Innocent

Mark Locke Mills
Publish America
ISBN: 1-59286-413-9
Contemporary
Reviewed by Tami Brady



To Protect the Innocent is a very difficult book to read. This book is not hard to read because of the actual writing. In fact, the writing is splendid and the characters act and react in realistic ways creating a well crafted story. No, the challenging part of this book is the actual topic, sexual abuse of children.

This book follows the lives of several interconnected individuals. These people include a child activist touched by such abuse; the parents of a child who was abused and murdered; police assigned to these cases, a pedophile in therapy, and several individuals in the child sex trade. All of these stories are frank giving the reader insight into the lives of these individuals and what drives them. In each case, the reader will likely feel very strongly about the words and actions of each character. Very powerful, very scary, and very important.

I have always had eclectic tastes in books, but I would say that "To Protect the Innocent" is unusual even by my standards. The book is a thriller at its core and I enjoy a good thriller. However, this thriller revolves around pedophilia and other than short stories where pedophilia was used to demonstrate how evil a character was, I have never read a book with so much detailed information on the subject. I was initially apprehensive because I have very strong feelings about child abuse in any form, but I found the book interesting and educational. Yes, I said educational, because the author is a layman expert on the subject, developing his knowledge as a national and local reporter for thirteen years and having read more than fifty studies and books on the subject.

Dan and Jan Forester were a nice, normal couple with a son, Mike. One day Dan, a former policeman, is nearing the end of the day as an insurance investigator when Jan calls to tell him that Mike did not come home from school. The nightmare, every parent's nightmare, begins. Mike has disappeared, and there are no traces of him. Initially, investigators ask questions that seem to blame the parents, frustrating Jan and Dan as they felt the police were wasting time that could be spent looking for their son, though they knew that the police had to eliminate them as suspects. The search for Mike begins, and Jan and Dan's marriage and their lives disintegrate until the body of their son is found; then things get worse, especially for Dan.

After learning that a pedophile murdered Mike, Dan decides that his mission in life is to make pedophiles pay for their crimes. If the justice system in this country is unable to make pedophiles pay, Dan will. Dan is quite effective in his new role as vigilante.

This book follows two additional parallel paths involving a reporter who has obtained a grant to do documentaries on pedophilia, and an FBI agent who wants to move from analysis to field work. Ultimately the paths of all these characters collide as the book nears its conclusion. Along the way we get a variety of statistics and perspectives on the subject of pedophilia.

Because I have strong feelings about child abuse in general, I was initially on Dan's side. I found myself applauding Dan as he meted out the justice these disgusting and evil people deserved. However, there came a point where I realized that Dan was becoming as bad in his own way as the people receiving his justice. While there is a certain satisfaction in seeing the people who hurt children victimized in a decisive, and frequently entertaining, manner, I think part of the author's intent was to make readers realize that the answer is not in vigilante justice, but in better laws. I was convinced by the end of the story. If I ever need a reminder, I will re-read the book.

Mark Mills calls pedophilia "America's dirty little secret." I disagree with Mark. Pedophilia is a world problem, and perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it the "World's dirty little secret." Regardless, you would think that a society that dotes on its children as much as the United States would provide a similar level of protection for children, but the statistics presented in the book, which the author assures me were accurate at the time he wrote the book, are scary and disturbing and indicate that America's children are inadequately protected from pedophiles. One of the most disturbing aspects of the book is the Guild, an organization that advocates sexual relationships between men and boys. Mark tells me that there is an actual organization that promotes such relationships.

I doubt if many of us are going to go out of their way to read a book on pedophilia. The subject is abhorrent to most of us, and for many of us we have very strong feelings on the subject. However, as strong as my feelings are about the subject, I found this book good at presenting a variety of viewpoints on the subject, including those of the disgusting pedophiles themselves. I leave it to you to read the book and decide which viewpoint you think is right.

This book is author Mark Locke Mills' first effort. There are places where the book could have used a bit more polish, including a few minor grammatical problems. I initially found it difficult to jump from viewpoint to viewpoint quickly and multiple times in a chapter, but once I got used to the frequent transitions the story moved along nicely. I anticipate that Mark will write yet another book, perhaps on this subject, perhaps something else. Until he does, if you like detective stories and thrillers take a chance on this one because it does a great job at dealing with an incredibly difficult subject.

Note: The viewpoints expressed in this review are my own and I made every effort to keep from naming real people, situations or organizations other than the name of the author.

This author certainly has a story to tell, and it's not a pretty one! Pedophilia is described in this book as "America's dirty little secret", and that really does appear to be the case. According to what we are told in this work, there are thousands of pedophiles out there, and each one may have contact with multiple victims. The plot of this cautionary tale revolves around the actions of a father whose son is kidnapped, molested and murdered. While I can't agree with the course of action he takes, as the grandfather of two beautiful little girls, I can feel his pain, and understand why he does what he does, even if I don't condone it. This is not a cheery book, but one that literally hits you in the face with a message about child sexual abuse: something must be done about these predators!!

This book is superb! It is well written, well researched and riveting. It should be mandatory reading material for all parents. I could almost feel the pain and sheer desperation of the parents in this book. Empathy is too subtle a word to describe what I felt for the desperate, self-destructive main character Dan. It has been several months since I read the book and the last pages remain vivid in my mind. It is a book I will not soon forget.

Mills writes an intriguing novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Using real-life facts and figures he weaves an exciting tale of a father who loses his son to a child molester and goes on a one-man crusade against pedophilia. Throughout the book he wrestles with his conscience over the age-old question of whether the end can ever really justify the means. Like Kurtz in Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" he is plagued by the "horror" of his mission. But it is much more than a book about vigilantism. It is an enthralling action/adventure novel full of embracing and insightful information and philosophy. Mills has the courage to explore the heinous and much ignored world of pedophilia and shows us that it is a much more pervasive social problem than most people realize. If you want to be educated and entertained at the same time, To Protect The Innocent is the book for you. But be aware, it is hard to put down and will undoubtedly keep you up nights.

If you have trouble putting this book down, don't even bother trying: it's impossible. With gritty bone-chilling detail Mills transports the reader to the horrifying violent underworld of the child sex trade. Several interwoven stories in one, this fast-paced mystery is laced with shocking revelations as seen through the eyes of many compelling and diverse characters; predator, parent, journalist, lover, and friend. Where and how they intersect will have you turning pages and ignoring the clock; the anguish on the page is as palpable as the lust, the search for justice as inspired as the search for the truth. For every revolting detail that makes you want to put this book down, there's a plot twist that just won't let you. Warning: Extreme content. Not for young readers.

The author of this book intricately captures the emotional complexities that attach themselves to this distressing issue. Mills' journalistic experience combined with his outstanding ability to construct realistically flawed characters makes for an excellent read. Mills' true brilliance lies in his ability to eloquently describe the roles the media and law enforcement officials play in the world of pedophilia. The plague of sexual abuse would loosen its stranglehold on America if more people were willing to tackle the issue as candidly and ferociously as Mills does. Not often do you read a book where compelling storytelling and necessary discussion meet as one.

I'm an avid reader who has a simple rating system. Was I entertained? Life is too short to read books that don't grab your attention and take you to another place. "To Protect the Innocent" by Mark Locke Mills had me engaged from the beginning. It's quite apparent the author did his research in tackling such a tough subject. I look forward the author's next novel.

This book has a wonderful hard-hitting storyline with actual statistical data woven into the fiction that stress the importance of the issue of pedophilia. It's a thought provoking story that takes you through all aspects of the problem of pedophilia in a very interesting manner. The fiction makes it clear that the tragedies and the horrors contained in the book are all around us. It vividly depicts a real problem in today's society and it was backed up with a considerable amount of statistical information. This book portrays the difficult lives of several interconnected individuals, including a child activist, the parents of a child who was murdered, a pedophile in therapy, and individuals in the child sex trade. All of these stories give the reader insight into the lives of these individuals and what drives them. The reader feels very strongly about the words and actions of each character.

It's a difficult subject to write well. Apparently, the author's long years of journalistic experience has paid off. Yes, it is fiction; but the author was able to make it so real, and the readers were virtually living through it. Despite the unpleasant nature of the subject matter itself, it is a delightful read. Being a college professor myself, I was fascinated by the author's ability to free himself from the spell of long years of academic writing and maintain a flow of language that is full of life. This is one of the rare offerings both in terms of the subject matter and the author's talent in pulling the threads into an intriguing whole. It is also a thought-provoking book and will stay with you long after.

All in all, I am glad I read it.