Fatal Judgment (Guardians of Justice Book #1): A Novel [Kindle Edition]

Irene Hannon (Author)

Book Description

U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward Liz haven't warmed in the five years since she lost her husband--and Jake's best friend--to possible suicide. How can Jake be expected to care for the coldhearted workaholic who drove his friend to despair?

As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, his feelings slowly start to change. When it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life--and his heart--are in mortal danger.

Full of the suspense and romance Irene Hannon's fans have come to love, Fatal Judgment is a thrilling story that will keep readers turning the pages late into the night.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Extraordinary writing . . . a not-to-be-missed reading experience."--RT Book Reviews on Against All Odds (4½ stars, Top Pick)

U.S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he'd rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward the coldhearted workaholic haven't warmed in the five years since she drove her husband--and Jake's best friend--to despair . . . and possible suicide.

As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he's forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life--and his heart--are in danger.

Full of suspense and romance, Fatal Judgment launches a thrilling series featuring three siblings bound by blood and a passion for justice.

Praise for the books of Irene Hannon

"Fast-paced crime drama with an aside of romance . . . [and] an ever-climactic mystery. Hannon's tale is engagingly sure-footed."--Publishers Weekly

"Hannon is a master at character development."--Library Journal

"Superbly written."--Booklist

RITA®-award-winner (and four-time finalist) Irene Hannon is the bestselling author of more than thirty-five novels, including Against All Odds, An Eye for an Eye, and In Harm's Way. A former corporate communications executive with a Fortune 500 company, Irene now writes full time from her home in Missouri.

About the Author

Irene Hannon is the author of more than 35 novels, including the bestselling Heroes of Quantico and Guardians of Justice series. Her books have been honored with two coveted RITA awards from Romance Writers of America, a Carol Award, HOLT Medallion, a Daphne du Maurier Award, and two Reviewers' Choice Awards from RT Book Reviews magazine. Booklist also included one of her novels in its "Top 10 Inspirational Fiction" list for 2011. She lives in Missouri.

For more information about her and her books, Irene invites you to visit her web site at www.irenehannon.com.

Product Details

• File Size: 786 KB
• Print Length: 337 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0800734564
• Publisher: Revell (January 1, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B004DNWG2U
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,468 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #76 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Literature & Fiction > Mystery
  • #98 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Literature & Fiction > Religious Fiction > Christian > Suspense

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

49 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Another thrilling read by Irene Hannon December 29, 2010

By Laura A. Jackson

Format:Paperback

Summary: Jake Taylor, a U.S. Marshal, is assigned to protect federal judge Liz Michaels, who just happens to be the widow of his college best friends. Liz's sister was murdered at Liz's house, and the police believe Liz may have been the target. Jake dreads protecting Liz based on his friend's description of her cold ruthlessness and focus on her career above all else. Liz surprises Jake by being warm and caring, the total opposite of what he expected.

As he guards Liz, he realizes his friend's personal demons and struggle with alcohol may have been to blame for the failing marriage and his death, not Liz. Jake must decide if protecting his heart is as important as protecting Liz.

My thought: Irene Hannon is quickly becoming one of my favorite Christian authors. This book is a great combination of suspense with the murder investigation and romance with the feelings between Jake and Liz. the murder details aren't too graphic, and the romance isn't too mushy. The element of faith is not preachy, and overall, it's a great book.

[...]

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars True to Life Story January 25, 2011

By Deborah VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

I have enjoyed Irene Hannon's books in the romantic suspense genre because I feel that they give me more of what I want: suspense over romance. I want the story to focus more on the action and adventure while having the romance be a secondary subplot. It can be there but I would rather see the couple engage in the suspense than actually getting engaged.

This book is packed with suspense right from the beginning. The reader is taken on a thrilling ride as what looked to be a domestic related shooting turns into a whole lot more. As a federal judge, Liz's life is in danger and the assassin is unknown. Hannon however shows the reader the assassin and we see things from his point of view. I found reading about to be more interesting than Liz and Jake's escapades. Learning his back story didn't really make me more sympathetic for him. I found it sad at the way he chose to focus his attentions on. The details of the type of government that was presented were quite scary as I know that there are actual groups out there that do believe in that sort of thing.

While reading this book, I was eerily reminded of the events in the book and the tragic shooting involving Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in Tuscon. The situation there was taking place during the exact time frame that I was reading the book so it was a bit scary to see so many parallels between the two situations. Both featured an citizen who was angry with the government, interesting in radical movements and ultimately decided to take things into their own hands in an extremely violent way. While I don't like seeing what I read come to life, at the same time it's strangely exciting to see a book written in such a true to life way.

This is one of the reasons why I do love Hannon's books over other Christian romantic suspense writers. Her books are well researched and actually show real situations and not focus on just the love story. As for the love story itself, I felt it was believable and while maybe just a tad rushed, I felt that I could buy it. Unlikely most couples in Christian fiction, Jake and Liz have a history together and a past that they share. This allows for more development because they have something to build on and aren't just meeting for the first time and falling in love 3 days later. It's a more mature relationship that has issues that must be dealt with first.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. The suspense is top notch, I was on the edge of my seat throughout the entire novel. All the characters in the book are very intriguing and well developed. Even Martin's sister, who I thought wasn't going to be a big deal in the story, ended up surprising me with the depth of her character. This is another winner from Hannon and I wish more romantic suspense authors who write in this field would take notes from her. I am really looking forward to reading the next book in the series.

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.45 Lighthearted Mystery/ Romance July 13, 2011

By Julie VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback

Good: Dialogue flowed. There's nothing worse than reading a book where everybody sounds like a wooden puppet. While the character "voices" aren't all that distinct, everybody comes through clearly. Actually, minor character Alison Taylor has the most unique voice, followed closely by another minor character Patricia. The bad guy's believable. The things that brought him to crazy-maniac point are things that could happen.

*spoiler alert*
Neutral: The plot isn't going to run you through twists and turns or anything, but it still strikes me as an "oldie but goodie" sort of tale. It features a damsel in distress, a tall, dark, handsome hero type to protect her and a fair amount of swooping to the rescue. There's a note at the back that said the author did a lot of research into the judicial system and US Marshals, but there's not enough detail in the book itself to prove she did any sort of research. I think we see Liz in the courtroom once for like 1 page. End stretches suspension of disbelief. I found myself muttering, I hate stupid criminals. More specifically, I hate when criminals who are otherwise described as brilliant don't take logical steps to achieve their desired ends just so we can have a fairy tale ending.

Painful: I can be rather picky when it comes to grammar, and I totally get using a fragment for emphasis. It just seemed that there were too many instances of fragment-for-emphasis. (pg 9 Not good. pg 11 Could it?; Yeah. A big one. pg 12 Then another.) Fragments like that just make the story sound choppy. The author also started a lot of sentences with "but" or "and" which isn't technically wrong just not the best way to start off.

Amusing: Characters fall into the stereotypical Christian romance. All men: tall, dark haired, handsome. All women: blonde and beautiful.

Overall/summary: The book's decent. The plot's tired. The character dialogue flows well enough but isn't exactly mind bogglingly brilliant. If you like guy meets gal, guy protects gal, guy gets gal books, you'll probably like this one. Although church is mentioned, I wouldn't say either character made great spiritual improvements. If they're billing this as a Christian book, I'd probably take more exception to the very end.

More About the Author

Irene Hannon is the best-selling author of more than 35 novels. Her books have been honored with the coveted RITA Award from Romance Writers of America, the HOLT Medallion, the Reviewer's Choice Award from Romantic Times BOOKreviews magazine and the Daphne du Maurier Award for mystery/suspense. Irene and her husband make their home in Missouri, USA. Irene invites you to visit her at her website, www.irenehannon.com