Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down.
A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase.
Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture.
Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine.
Review: The book is not just a thriller but it actually packs a lot of observation about American society and highlights a lot of issues that have no resolution currently but need understanding from everyone. The story actually starts once the cops are gunned down because that is the true polarising event for everyone. The author has not gone into defending any action but through a brilliant set of characters, he has shown how such events impact everyone.
The writing is really good and the book is fast-paced without losing the focus on people and their emotions. I had not expected to read a detailed discussion of the jurors but it surely works for the best as it engages the reader too to dissect all evidence and statements by all parties called in court.
Tessa is a strong lady with her heart and head at right places and too much reference to her past without much clues was intriguing. But I also felt that she was also too judgemental and suspicious of even her best friend and colleague.
The courtroom scenes were amazingly crafted, so much that I laughed loud two or three times reading that section. The combination of Nat Bodine and his daughter iis brilliantly executed in the scenes. I would want to read more stories that involve this pair and not just Tessa alone.
Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon
Winner of Three Awards:
2019 American Fiction Award
About the Author:
N. Lombardi Jr, the N for Nicholas, has spent over half his life in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, working as a groundwater geologist. In 1997, while visiting Lao People's Democratic Republic, he witnessed the remnants of a secret war that had been waged for nine years, among which were children wounded from leftover cluster bombs. Driven by what he saw, he worked on The Plain of Jars for the next eight years.
His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.
His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.
Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
View all my reviews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
About the Book:
A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase.
Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers gets there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture.
Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine.
Review: The book is not just a thriller but it actually packs a lot of observation about American society and highlights a lot of issues that have no resolution currently but need understanding from everyone. The story actually starts once the cops are gunned down because that is the true polarising event for everyone. The author has not gone into defending any action but through a brilliant set of characters, he has shown how such events impact everyone.
The writing is really good and the book is fast-paced without losing the focus on people and their emotions. I had not expected to read a detailed discussion of the jurors but it surely works for the best as it engages the reader too to dissect all evidence and statements by all parties called in court.
Tessa is a strong lady with her heart and head at right places and too much reference to her past without much clues was intriguing. But I also felt that she was also too judgemental and suspicious of even her best friend and colleague.
The courtroom scenes were amazingly crafted, so much that I laughed loud two or three times reading that section. The combination of Nat Bodine and his daughter iis brilliantly executed in the scenes. I would want to read more stories that involve this pair and not just Tessa alone.
Book Links:
Goodreads * Amazon
Winner of Three Awards:
2019 American Fiction Award
National Indie Excellency Award - Best Legal Thriller of 2019
Silver Medal Winner 2019 - Readers' Favorites Awards
Chosen by Wiki.ezvid.com among their list of 10 Gripping and Intelligent Legal Thrillers
Silver Medal Winner 2019 - Readers' Favorites Awards
Chosen by Wiki.ezvid.com among their list of 10 Gripping and Intelligent Legal Thrillers
About the Author:
His second novel, Journey Towards a Falling Sun, is set in the wild frontier of northern Kenya.
His latest novel, Justice Gone was inspired by the fatal beating of a homeless man by police.
Nick now lives in Phnom Penh, Cambodia
This book looks very gripping and interesting.. Will read it soon
ReplyDeleteI have read this book and can vouch for your amazingly written review. #myfriendalexa #vartikasdiaryreading
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