Customer Reviews

A Murder of Justice

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Some authors lose energy over time, while others repeat themselves in thinly disguised "new" stories. In his 3 "A Murder of" books Robert Andrews does neither. His heroes, and ours, Jose Phelps and Frank Kearney, have become real friends whose credibility grows with each novel. In "A Murder of Justice" they have become, if anything, still more believable while growing in complexity. This latest book is a terrific read, with a plot that grabs and holds, and with details that bring the story to life. Andrews is at the top of his game.

Nobody mourns the shooting death of drug supplier James "Skeeter" Hodges or the wounding of his friend Tobias "Pencil" Crawford in a black DC neighborhood. The drug dealers were sitting in a car when eight or nine bullets went through the window almost taking the Skeeter's head off and injuring Pencil. Nobody grieves Skeeter's death because he turned a nice Washington D.C. neighborhood into a war zone.

Police officers Frank Kearney and Jose Phelps are assigned the case but their superior captain Randolph Emerson is more interested in closing cold cases connected to Skeeter than catching the killer. The investigation heats up when it is discovered that the murder that killed Skeeter also killed Congressman Frederick Rhinelander's chief of staff Kevin Gantry. The department is publicly embarrassed because Kevin's case was signed off as an administrative closure. Now Frank and Jose have to find the killer or lose the confidence of the public.

Robert Andrews has written a brilliant police procedural with a dire social commentary. Once the public loses confidence in its police force, the country is one step away from anarchy. It is the belief in the police and the legal system that keeps this country functioning and the author makes that very clear. The two protagonists on the case are the heroes because they believe in the law and justice and doing their best to bring honor to the badges they carry.

Harriet Klausner

This is the third installment in the mystery/police series of Frank Kearney and Jose Phelps - two Washington, DC homicide detectives. Without belaboring or giving away the plot, this story centers around the murder of a DC drug kingpin which then opens up a whole can of worms concerning a two year old "solved" murder case of a congressional aide. What catapults this book above most police procedurals is the author's ability to manage/balance a multitude of threads and characters in this story - the murder case itself, DC politics/politicians and geography/neighborhoods, the FBI and all the witnesses, family members, etc that Frank and Jose - who are at the center of all this - meet along the way. Interestingly, (or maybe even ironically), this author's books remind me of several UK authors, (Robinson and Rankin come to mind), in that the author is able to shift gears from scenes, characters, and plot lines seamlessly while never losing/diluting the essence of the mystery. A great read.

Veteran spy novelist Andrews (born 1937) came to crime fiction late in his career, and this is the best of his three police procedurals. As an aside, Andrews served as the Special Assistant to the Secretary of the US Army from 2007-09. Previously he directed Rockwell International's congressional relations from 1982-95. Prior to that, he was Senator John Glenn's national security adviser for two years.

In "A Murder of Justice," Veteran homicide detectives Frank Kearney and Jose Phelps have been partners on the District of Columbia Police Force for 26 years. These two friends are effective cops in the nation's murder capital. Frank, the erudite son of a respected judge, is a Vietnam veteran and a divorced man who owns a cat. His partner Jose, a football player and boxer during his years at Howard University, is the son of a preacher and a happily married guy. Frank and Jose have a healthy camaraderie. The enemies they face are external rather than internal. A shared delight in excessive consumption of cholesterol-laden foods seems to be their only "self-destructive" behavior.

Frank and Jose cross swords with Emerson, their politically motivated commander, while tackling a series of murders linked to a House subcommittee investigation of crime in the District.

Frank sometimes voices comments that do not make immediate sense. Upon questioning from Jose for clarification, Frank usually responds with a brief but penetrating social commentary.

Frank's tendency to editorialize strengthens your understanding of the protagonist. His comments regarding human (or human/cat) interactions are sometimes humorous, sometimes profound, always interesting.

Andrews' prose style is trim, never ornate. The author's knowledge of the Washington scene, both geographic and political, adds credibility to the action. Comments on the links between politics and crime, the nature of justice and the thin veneer of civilization are presented with mature insight and a deft touch. The book's length is a modest 320 pages. The denouement rather abruptly closes the novel.

My only complaint is that the action ends too soon--I wanted to spend more time with Frank and Jose.

"If cats could talk, they wouldn't." OK, this is not the main theme of the book, but the initial description of Monty (the cat) is so compelling, I knew the book wouldn't disappoint. It didn't. Really, a great read by Washington's mystery-writer laureate.