Kill [redacted]

The execution of Good’s intriguing debut, about a man bent on revenge, doesn’t match its ambitious framework. The main text consists of journal entries made by Michael, a schoolmaster, which are intended to be read by his therapist. These entries, which begin with a reference to Michael’s wife being killed by a terrorist bomb in the London Underground, trace his reactions to that tragedy. Michael, for unspecified reasons, considers a British political leader responsible for his wife’s death, which is 10 years in the past. That conclusion leads him to plot assassinating the politician, whose name is blacked out in the text. Multiple pages of completely blacked-out journal entries distract rather than enhance the feeling of reality. Michael, who has a sadistic streak toward his students, isn’t easy to sympathize with, and the story takes too long to reach its climax. Readers won’t emerge with much insight into the human desire for vengeance. Agent: David Higham and Assoc. (U.K.). (Sept.)