Justice by Jeff Hill

This book is heavy in justice rooted in vengeance. No redemption. And depending on your beliefs, it may be hard to swallow the justice aspect. Warning, if you’re a liberal, left-wing abortion supporter, this book may be difficult for you to read. I hope you do, though. What’s scary about it is wondering how much of the evil portrayed really happens. It goes way beyond abortion. The book exposes a culture of death, which I believe runs rampant in our country. At its core, the novel portrays a very real spiritual battle.

The book starts as a mystery. There are three high-profile murders / assassinations by seemingly three different people. Are they linked? What links them together is a single Scrabble tile left at the scene. I struggled with the first part because of the number of players introduced. Lots of characters, but no real characterization. It was hard to keep track who was who and I never got to know any of them other than who they are and what they do.

Once we hit part II, it turned into Without Remorse, the Tom Clancy novel. That’s not a bad thing, as Without Remorse is a fantastic novel. I would have preferred starting there, from the point of view of the main character. From part two on, the book moved quickly and drew me in. I thoroughly enjoyed the subsequent parts. There are some diatribes by the main character, but they did not pull me out of the story, especially since I agree with much of what Coleman had to say.

The character of Derek Coleman is fascinating. A product of the US military and other law enforcement groups, the reader is left to judge whether what he’s doing is justified or not. The reader will also be left with evaluating government and their role in making a person like Coleman. What should happen to a person like this when he’s no longer working for the government?

The book is fairly clean, but there is profanity, though not too much. Some light sex, more suggestive than graphic. There is some extreme violence, though not gore. I’ll leave it to the reader to determine if the violence is necessary. I don’t feel it’s gratuitous.

It’s the first book of the year, and the year starts off with a bang. I enjoyed this book, and I believe its message is important. We will see how long it retains the top spot on my list this year.

1. Justice by Jeff Hill

Commission earned