Retribution
From AwardAnnals
| Book: | Retribution |
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| Author: | Jilliane P. Hoffman |
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| Publisher: | Putnam Adult |
retribution: n. punishment that is considered to be morally right and fully deserved
—The Oxford American Dictionary
When an elite prosecutor faces the most lethal predator she’s ever encountered, it all comes down to a choice between justice…and retribution.
Prosecutor C.J. Townsend is a talented state attorney in Miami, well-known in her law enforcement and judicial circles for her abililty to handle even the most horrific cases—without losing her cool. For the past year, she’s been deeply involved in the investigation of a series of brutal murders. When a speeding motorist is pulled over and the cops discover the mutilated body of a young woman in the trunk, the case is finally cracked. Caught up in a maelstrom of publicity, C.J. begins to build her court case, piece by careful piece.
But C.J. has personal demons that she’s never shown the world. Now, when she needs to be at the top of her game, she finds events from her past resurfacing. As she battles evil incarnate in court, she will be fighting the devil inside.
On top of everything else, the lead detective on the case is one who has hinted that he has begun to care for her as much as more than just a colleague. And everything is riding on her ability to put this killer behind bars.
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Reviews
Barnes and Noble
This debut novel by a former assistant state attorney is a crime drama/courtroom thriller offering authentic forensic details, legal quandaries, and a surprising, enthralling plot.
After Chloe Larson is raped and left for dead by a madman in a clown mask, she changes her name, starts a new life in Miami, and becomes a prosecutor for the state attorney. A dozen years later she’s given the task of prosecuting William Bantling, who is suspected of being “Cupid,” a serial killer who butchers women. Chloe recognizes him as her rapist and begins to slide towards a possible mental breakdown. As she tampers with the case to make sure Bantling pays for his crimes,, she’s beset by the question: Even if Bantling is her assailant, does that prove he’s also Cupid?
Hoffman provides expert twists throughout a novel that starts off grippingly and never lets up. With smooth prose, and an inviting narrative style, the author creates believable and sympathetic characters, and although Retribution is intensely graphic and unsettling at times, Hoffman brings expertise and street credibility to her work. This is a darkly compelling, often gut-wrenching novel about a victim’s attempt to balance the craving for personal revenge with the desire for justice. —Tom Piccirilli
