Saturday, November 11, 2017

Book Review - Heroic Justice, M. A. Comley

A long-time fan of DI Lorne Warner and the Justice series, and more recently a fan of the DI Hero Nelson series I was thrilled when Mel announced she was combining the two characters for a new novel.  Both characters have strong personalities, and both are willing to step outside the boundaries when necessary. Would they be able to work together?

Due to family problems I was a little late on starting my ARC and had the advantage of reading other reviews which touted this as Ms. Comley's best book yet.  This made me even more eager to dive in with a fresh cup of coffee and bury myself in the pages. In my opinion it was going to be hard for her to top my two favorite reads--Dubious Justice and Cold Case from the DI Sally Parker series. Those two books left an emotional impact with me that kept me thinking of them long after I finished the books, and they still remain at the top of my list for favorite reads.

To coin a British phrase I did find Heroic Justice 'bloody brilliant'.  As an author myself I may notice things that I wouldn't perhaps just reading a good book. I'm not a huge fan of narrative and love character driven fiction. Heroic did not disappoint. At times I felt I was in the room with the characters listening to the conversation as Ms. Comley weaved in background for both characters so seamlessly that I was awe struck. Absolutely brilliant! Readers who have never opened a Justice book or a Hero book will still feel they know the characters intimately. Readers who have followed these characters as I have will thoroughly enjoy the revisiting of the past through conversation, not an info dump.  Can I saw 'brilliant' again?

In today's world serial killers are more the norm than the exception. Often to find them you have to understand their motives. Both Lorne and Hero do an excellent job of delving deep into the few clues the killer leaves behind. Having experienced tragedy in their own lives their compassion for the victims and their families is heart-warming. An excellent police procedural.

I would definitely tag this a five star read for lovers of crime, police procedure and fast-paced thrillers. I loved seeing Lorne and her husband, Tony, working together and hope that becomes more of the norm in future novels. I can't imagine working with my husband, but the mutual respect Tony and Lorne have for each other, and the skills each possesses makes them a perfect working couple. So often we get a one-sided few of characters and experience only their work, but Ms. Comley is delightful in her ability to show the many facets--even flaws--of each character, including the antagonist.

I recommend setting aside some time before you start, as once you get involved you're not going to want to stop reading until the very last page...and even then you may find yourself thinking about this book. Available for pre-order now.  Release date--11/13/17.

Happy Reading!

Amazon http://hyperurl.co/czvz7v
KOBO  https://goo.gl/nsMTAK
iBooks  https://goo.gl/jpM15k 
Google Play https://smarturl.it/khj328 
B&N https://smarturl.it/42o12n

No comments:

Post a Comment