12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dewey hits another home run, October 23, 2009
This review is from: Redemption (Hardcover)
Denver Homicide cop Jane Perry has resigned, unable to put behind her the loss of a family she was protecting. She has decided to start her own detective agency and is wallowing in self-pity when fate throws her a bone. While stepping out for a smoke at her AA meeting, Jane meets Katherine "Kit" Clark, who is fighting demons of her own. She lost her granddaughter Ashlee to a brutal rapist and murderer and now, due to new evidence, he has been granted a new trial. Now a new abduction has taken place and Kit is convinced it's the same person who killed Ashlee and wants to hire Jane to find him. Desperate for money, Jane takes the case, not knowing what a strange ride it's going to be. Kit is a New Ager and all her herbs and homeopathic cures almost drive Jane over the edge; Jane's foul language and smoking habit are repulsive to Kit. In the end both women realize that they can help one another find what until now has been desperately out of reach: redemption.
"Redemption" by Laurel Dewey features the return of Jane Perry, Denver Homicide detective. It is the second entry in what I hope will be a long running series. The book focuses on the search for redemption by two women: one, a recent resigned Homicide detective and the other, a woman with a terminal illness. My favorite part of the book was the discussion between Jane and Kit concerning the beliefs of Dr. John Bartosh, psychologist turned Fundamentalist minister and the man who lobbied for the release of Kit's granddaughter's killer. There is much of what was said that I can personally relate to, having grown up with family members with these very same beliefs. Like in the book, their personal identity cannot be separated from their religion: to question one is to question the other. The author has done an excellent job of giving her characters a depth that is often missing from the typical murder mystery. I love the way that the author has brought these two individuals together to work toward a common goal.
Laurel Dewey has definitely earned a place in any discussion of the top mystery authors of the present day, including such stand-outs as Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver and Faye Kellerman, among others. If you enjoy authors such as these, don't miss "Redemption." This is a five-star read.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
powerful suspense thriller, September 5, 2009
This review is from: Redemption (Hardcover)
Chain smoker and chain drinker Jane Harder quit the Denver police department to become a private investigator. However, her effort to go private has somewhat failed because of her alcoholic addiction. Jane joins AA in hopes that the touch me feel me kick butt me meetings help her stay sober long enough to solve a case that brings in money.
Katherine "Kit" Clark comes over to Jane who is outside the AA meeting place smoking. She recognizes the cop from when Jane appeared on Larry King Live last year. Kit comes across as crazy so Jane tries to escape back to the meeting until the woman offers her $5000 to investigate the abduction, rape and murder of her fourteen year old granddaughter over ten years ago in California. The convicted killer Lou Peters was released on a legal technicality. Though she needs the money, the case comes too close to home with her own family history of abuse, but when Kit explains she is dying from cancer and believes Lou has kidnapped a tweener, Jane is ready to go immediately to Northern California.
As apparently with PROTECTOR (not read by me), Jane remains a kick butt heroine who has not broken the abuse cycle handed down from her paternal grandfather through her father to her; instead she has detoured it from abusing spouses, siblings, and offspring as her dad did to self flagellation through smoking, drinking, and profanity. Thus she has met her match in Kit. Although Jane's behavior at times overwhelms the otherwise super story line with her excesses, fans will enjoy this powerful suspense thriller as the time is running out on her ally and on the twelve year old victim.
Harriet Klausner
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Redemption, March 4, 2011
*Rating is 3.5, not 3*
Redemption by Laurel Dewey is the second in the Jane Perry series, after Protector. However, I think Redemption can be read and understood without having read the first part, like me. There are some references to the first book but they aren't major or confusing.
Cop turned private investigator, Jane Perry, is an alcoholic. She joins an AA group in hopes of staying sober enough to solve a big case, which however, turns out be a disaster. Jane meets Kit Clark for the first time in an AA meeting. Kit is one of those New-Age followers and to practical, reality-oriented cop, Jane Perry, she comes across as a lunatic.
Kit's granddaughter, Ashlee, was raped and killed by a religious fanatic, Lou Peters, more than ten years ago. However, the murderer is released, after a glitch is found in the evidence. Another young girl is kidnapped, some time after Lou's release. Kit is convinced that Lou is behind the abduction of the child and will do anything to save the child from what happened to her own granddaughter. Jane is unconvinced by Kit's reasoning and doesn't see how Lou could be involved. However, she reluctantly agrees to help after she finds out about Kit's cancer.
Kit and Jane are as different as night and day, but the one thing that's common between them is that they are both seeking redemption - Kit, from her guilt about Ashlee's death and Jane, from the painful memories of her past.
Redemption is completely different from any other thriller I have read. There is a lot of talk about spirituality, God, mysticism and coincidences. I was a bit sceptical at first, but soon that evaporated since Redemption is a very refreshing take on the thriller genre. Despite not believing in such things, there were many parts in the book that did touch me quite a bit. If you read this book with an open-mind, you might even end up learning something from it.
"Call it coincidence or synchronicity, it's the same beautiful magic. Life serves them up to everyone; the trick is understanding the messages they seek to deliver." Kit leaned towards Jane. "Forget about logically explaining them. They defy explanation! When you begin to realize how these coincidences weave in and out of your life, only then will you understand the governing power of a higher plan."
"We're all blind at times, she thought, to things we simply do not want to see because it's comfortable to turn away. Facing the bitter truth is like plunging a hot knife into your heart and exposing all the pretty little stories we tell ourselves that make us feel safe or justified or blissfully ignorant."
Apart from being a page-turner, Redemption is also insightful and thought-provoking. It's action-packed and thrilling on one hand , sad and emotional on the other.
"There's three kinds of people in the world. There are those who want to control you because they can't control themselves. What they don't get is that the more control you go for, the less control you have. Then there are those who are looking for someone to love them because they feel empty by themselves. What they don't get is that if you don't love yourself, you'll always feel as if you're lacking. The third kind of person is looking for redemption. They see themselves as dirt sinners who can never get clean enough. What they don't get is that they've been told a lie. God made them perfect. It's life that made them forget that."
Redemption is one of those books where there's something happening at every page; I didn't have the chance to be bored. There are enough twists and turns to keep you on your seat. The plot is suspenseful enough to keep your attention from wandering elsewhere. The author doesn't compromise with the characterization to focus just on the plot. The best thing about Redemption is that the main protagonist, Jane Perry, is not perfect. She's very flawed - Jane is a chain smoker, alcoholic and short-tempered. Yet she's an incredibly strong character. I couldn't help but admire her, feel for her and be amazed at her strength after her painful, horrific childhood is revealed.
Redemption is a satisfying suspense novel, not the greatest, but absorbing nonetheless.
Overall:
Gripping and unputdownable thriller.
Recommended?
Yes, if you like page-turning but intelligently written thriller novels.
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