Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr [Book Review]
Summary
“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 get 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. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge? Justice Gone is the first in a series of psychological thrillers involving Dr Tessa Thorpe, wrapped in the divisive issues of modern American society including police brutality and disenfranchised returning war veterans. N Lombardi Jr. is the author of compelling and heartfelt novel The Plain of Jars.”
-From Amazon.com
Review
I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. It is an ARC and will come out February 22, 2019.
I haven’t been taking many books for a review request for a while because I’m just so busy with school work and I really like to read for fun, and not as a chore, especially when it’s my free time. But when I got an email from Mr. Lombardi, I was really excited because the synopsis of this book immediately had me curious as well as it seeming like it would read like TV show episode. And I wasn’t disappointed at all.
Just like a crime show – decently paced.
Honestly, while I was reading this book, I kept thinking I was watching Law and Order as it was broken up in that way. It started with the incident, then would go to people who knew people involved, and then it would jump to the trial and so forth and I really liked that. I don’t generally read books that are set up like a show, as I just watch shows to get that kind of atmosphere, but now and then I do like these real-life books! To me, it was well paced and kept me guessing as to what was going to happen and to whom.
An interesting look at our justice system.
Besides it being an interesting story overall, it was also an interesting look at the American justice system and how flawed and corrupt it was. In a way it did stress me out, as it was incredibly accurate in how the situation took place and I wanted to shake the politicians and say ‘where is your honor you piece of s$%t’. It was just so infuriating how a Veteran, Donald Darfield, was treated – and it was a double whammy because he was also an African-American so that just brought in the race card as well. I really liked it because while it was a normal book, it was tackling quite a few issues in society and I always love me a book that does that and makes you really question things.
Not just our justice system, but Vets as well.
I haven’t come across many books with Vets in them, honestly. I mean sometimes they’ll make a passing comment about someone having been to war, but it is never the center of the story and this one was interest, addressing mental health issues, PTDS and how these individuals are treated in society, after everything they have done for their country. So seeing this issue, something which really isn’t talked about much, was really nice to see and new.
Great character development.
I really enjoyed seeing how the characters changed and grew throughout the story, depending on the situation that was presented to them. Especially with a situation that was controversial such as this, seeing how there was such a range of reactions to the situations was really refreshing as well. It was executed in a very realistic way.
Overall, a fantastic book!
I really did enjoy this book. Yes, there were a few moments that were slightly slow, like in the courtroom proceeding, but it didn’t exactly bother me because it was much more realistic and you got to see how the system worked, which I really liked. This book addressed some very important issues and I think is a book that people should read to maybe understand issues regarding our justice system a little better. It was an eyeopener and was written well, especially since it was like a TV show so it really kept you engaged!
I give this book 4/5 teacups!
Happy Reading!!
