In her novel Life Penalty, Joy Fielding brings out many things .
about people like how they react and how they deal with death. The .
story revolves around Gail Walton, a housewife with two daughters .
and a wonderful husband, who finds herself feeling completly lost .
when her 6 year old daughter is sexually assaulted and murdered. .
When the police can't find her daughter's killer, she begins her own .
investigation to find and bring to justice the man who stole her .
daughter's life along with her own. It is after this point that Gail .
Walton starts to change and not for the better. .
.
Can you imagine being a housewife, always there for your .
children when they get home from school and the one day that you .
are not there is the day that one of your precious children is murdered? .
That's what happened to Gail in this sad, but thrilling novel. She .
couldn't live the guilt of not having been there for her baby girl. .
When Cindy died, a part of herself died along with her. No matter .
how much her family and friends told her it would get better, she .
knew deep down that it wouldn't. The only way that things could .
be partially better was if the monster who had created the sadness .
was caught and brought to justice. In Gail's eyes, this justice was .
the death penalty. .
.
.
Gail, who had always been happy and upbeat, didn't see the .
point in living anymore. During her investigative work, she would .
stay in boarding houses, by herself, waiting for the day that the killer .
would stay in the same house as her. She did dangerous things like .
breaking into a suspects room, hitchicking and walking through parks .
at night. In a way, she wanted to end her life, but she didn't have the .
guts to do it, so she went out trying to get herself killed. Who could .
blame her? Her pride and joy had been taken away from her. .
.
Her entire family was affected by the sudden change of Gail's .
behaviour. Her husband suffered greatly because his wife was always .
