Elizabeth R. (esjro) - , reviewed on 7/9/2016 + 951 more book reviews

John Hart is one of the few authors on my "must buy" list, and Redemption Road is his best work to date. There is a lot going on in this book, making it difficult to summarize the plot. I will make an attempt, but trust me when I say that it all comes together in the end.

Elizabeth Black is a preacher's daughter who is a police detective, despite the disapproval of her father. She comes under scrutiny after she finds and rescues a teenage girl who was kidnapped and raped by two drug dealers. The problem is that the victim is white and privileged, and the kidnappers were shot repeatedly during the rescue, in a way that suggested an intent to torture the two African American captors, rather than a justified shooting.

To complicate matters, Elizabeth's former mentor, who was incarcerated for murder, is about to be released from prison. At the time of his conviction, Elizabeth was one of the only people besides his attorney who truly believed him innocent, though that opinion may have been shaped by her romantic feelings towards him. When additional bodies are found, Elizabeth is convinced that the murder her colleague went to prison for was not his doing, but rather the work of a serial killer.

The chapters in Redemption Road focus on characters on an alternating basis. As usual, John Hart writes about horrific crimes with a compassionate and sensitive yet fair voice. The characterization he is known for does not sacrifice pacing: this book is really a page turner.

My only minor quibble is that I figured out "whodunnit" pretty early on. That does not mean I didn't enjoy the ride.

John Hart is not the most prolific author, but every book he does put out is of outstanding quality and worth the wait.

Thanks to Amazon for providing a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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