She Treads Softly: Let Justice Descend

Monday, October 28, 2019

Let Justice Descend

Let Justice Descend by Lisa Black
Kensington: 10/29/19
eBook review copy; 336 pages
ISBN-13: 9781496722355
Gardiner and Renner Series #5

Let Justice Descend by Lisa Black is a very highly recommended crime thriller and procedural, featuring murder along with plenty of political corruption and intrigue. This is the fifth book in the series featuring Cleveland crime scene investigator Maggie Gardiner and homicide detective Jack Renner.

"Anyone can be dangerous, when they have what they think is a good reason." Three days before the election U.S. Senator Diane Cragin is murdered. Someone rigged up her front door so she would be electrocute on her front step and her chief of staff suspects her opponent, Joey Green. Green is a corrupt city development director who has been accepting bribes and favors in exchange for favors and city contracts for years. When an unbelievably large amount of cash is found in a safe in Cragin's home, it becomes clear that she may not be squeaky clean either. Maggie and Jack delve into the world of political rivals, corruption, bribes and economic hit men. Meanwhile Jack is keeping an eye on Cleveland Herald reporter Lori Russo who is not only following the political corruption story, but also the trail of the vigilante killer. That case involves a secret cover up between Maggie and Jack.

Let Justice Descend features excellent writing, including an interesting, detailed, complex plot, and the return of two engaging, well-developed characters. This is a great combination of a political thriller and a crime/procedural novel and a wonderful addition to the series. While I have read two previous books in the series and not all four, I was still able to easily follow the narrative and I think a reader new to the series could also easily understand the interaction between Maggie and Jack. Some of my enjoyment was because of the political intrigue and corruption tied into the case, so this would be a great choice for other readers who enjoy crime novels and political thrillers.

"... the twenty-four hour channels, who have discovered the same thing: the economic beauty of a built-in customer base. They can chat away for hours and hours, not about what has actually happened but about what might have happened and what they think might happen and their opinion of what happened or what they think should happen. Why? Because it’s easy and it’s cheap. You don’t have to do any investigation or any real news-gathering." Truth.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Kensington Publishing

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John Updike's six rules for reviewing:

1. Try to understand what the author wished to do, and do not blame him for not achieving what he did not attempt.

2. Give him enough direct quotation--at least one extended passage--of the book's prose so the review's reader can form his own impression, can get his own taste.

3. Confirm your description of the book with quotation from the book, if only phrase-long, rather than proceeding by fuzzy precis.

4. Go easy on plot summary, and do not give away the ending.

5. If the book is judged deficient, cite a successful example along the same lines, from the author's oeuvre or elsewhere. Try to understand the failure. Sure it's his and not yours?

To these concrete five might be added a vaguer sixth, having to do with maintaining a chemical purity in the reaction between product and appraiser.....Review the book, not the reputation.... Better to praise and share than blame and ban. The communion between reviewer and his public is based upon the presumption of certain possible joys in reading, and all our discriminations should curve toward that end.