But back to Alex: he opens his mouth at the wrong time soon after entering high school and becomes the object of the school's most appalling bully, who also happens to be the greatest athlete in the history of the school, and as such is beyond reproach by either student or adult. Alex's life becomes hell as insult piles upon injury until finally someting snaps within him and he carefully, methodically, expertly plots murder against the brute.

Null picks up the pace as Alex gets caught up in the logistics of plotting, choosing his method, then executing his plan with aplomb.

- SPOILER, SPOILER -

Alex chooses slow, cumulative poisoning which stretches the tension to the breaking point - all the while the reader despises the cruel, arrogant, sadistic oppressor Steve, and I, for one, wanted the bastard dead, NOW.

But then Alex makes a tragic mistake: he reaches a point where he has done great physical, psychic, and emotional damage to his tormentor, dragging him down from his evil cloud of superiority, and with the tormentor now the tormented, Alex seems to have achieved justice and to have regained his self-respect. But he cannot stop, is addicted to the power, to the process, and against his - and our - better judgment, he kills Steve off unleashing every manner of fury and sealing his own fate as well.

I will say no more having said too much. This is a tremendous first effort, of, I am certain, many for Christopher Null. Heartiest congratulations.