Rating: 5/5
Review:
Very good indeed
I thought Redemption Road
was very good, and for much of its length I thought it was really
excellent.
It's a tough, often brutal crime novel whose plot, looked at
coldly in retrospect, sounds like a million others: troubled cop has been involved in an incident
for which she is under investigation for possible murder; an ex-cop for whom
she still has feelings is released from jail after a hideous 14-year stretch
for a crime he may not have committed; violence and murder ensue, as do corrupt
officials, suspicion of betrayal…and so on.
In fact it is so well done that I was completely gripped much of the
time and it felt original and fresh. It
is brilliantly written and structured, with believable, flawed characters and a
terrific, oppressive atmosphere and sense of place. The plot emerges very cleverly and moves at a
decent pace but there is also real depth of characterisation and some genuine
thought about the nature of guilt and the choices we make.
I did think things got just a bit overwrought and
implausible toward the end and the book could perhaps have done with a little
trimming, but that's a tiny niggle, really and it's still a 5-star read for me. This is a very good book indeed, whose style
and structure could teach a lot of aspiring crime writers a few things about
how to create a gripping story and fine characters without resorting to
hyperbole and absurd "twists."
Very warmly recommended.
(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)
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