Redemption Road

Starred review from February 29, 2016
In this stellar crime thriller, Edgar-winner Hart (Iron House) explores the human capacity for resilience and trust in the face of heartbreaking betrayal. North Carolina police detective Elizabeth Black faces the prospect of criminal charges arising from her gunning down two men who were sexually abusing 18-year-old Channing Shore in an abandoned house. Given that Elizabeth, a white cop, shot the men, who were black, 18 times, the incident has attracted major media attention. But Elizabeth seems strangely indifferent to the investigation’s outcome. Her plate gets even fuller after Adrian Wall, a cop she once had feelings for, is paroled after 13 years in jail for murdering a woman, a crime she always believed he didn’t commit, despite compelling forensic evidence. Adrian is almost gunned down by the victim’s revenge-seeking son and again finds himself a suspect when another woman is killed. Though Hart employs plot twists effectively, it’s his powerful, wounded but courageous lead whom readers will remember. 200,000 first printing; author tour. Agent: Esther Newberg, ICM.

Scott Shepherd's slightly overwrought narration complements this audiobook. His deliberately slow pace keeps listeners on edge as the complex plot focuses on rape and other forms of violence against women. Elizabeth Black, an emotionally damaged cop, is facing criminal charges after being accused of going overboard in her killing of the men who held a young woman captive in a basement and raped her. Black also is obsessed with Adrian Wall, an ex-cop just getting out of prison, where he was tortured by the staff. A young boy, meanwhile, harbors thoughts of killing Wall, and someone is kidnapping women. This is a dark book, made all the darker by Shepherd's stagy interpretation. G.S.D. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine