Customer Reviews

Redemption

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

*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.

In Laurel Dewey's "Redemption," private investigator Jane Perry, a former Denver Police detective, takes a road trip from Denver to California with her client, Kit Clark, in search of Lou Peters, a man Kit says killed her granddaughter many years ago and who Kit believes is responsible for the disappearance of a 12-year-old in California.

Though traveling together, the two don't always work together since Jane is not sure if Kit is seeking revenge for the murder of her granddaughter. And then there's the issues of Jane's addictions and Kit's New Age ways.

Jane must search for clues in places she's not familiar with, including the home of a fundamentalist Christian leader. Hampering Jane's investigation is profiler and media maven Clinton Fredericks, who follows her every move.

The follow-up to "Protector," which introduced flawed detective Jane Perry, "Redemption" peels away some layers of Jane's past as she travels the road to redemption. Jane is definitely flawed, but you gotta love her. She's a strong woman who cares about the victims and uses her wits and instincts to tackle her way through extreme circumstances. Dewey has given readers a page-turning tale of mystery with colorful characters in this second Jane Perry book. I can't wait to see what Jane will do next!

If you love to read suspenseful page-turners, you won't be disappointed when you get this book, guaranteed! The second in Laurel Dewey's series about Detective Jane Perry, the reader is captured in the opening pages wanting to keep reading until the final resolution at the end. I really enjoyed Dewey's inclusion of an alternative health lifestyle and the upbeat religious philosophy of the main supporting character. Jane's complex and at times tortured personality is well developed again, as it was in Protector, the first book in the series. The book is not just a whodunit, but includes insightful character development and touches upon the differences between religious fundamentalism and new age thought as the events unfold.

It's not often that you read a crime thriller and ALSO get a story with so much heart and characters that are incredibly well rounded and interesting. But you get that and much more with Laurel Dewey's second book in the Jane Perry series. I've been waiting two years for this book to come out and it was well worth the wait.

Jane is still the same hard-edged police detective but she learns a few lessons about life in general as well as some disturbing revelations about her own past. In this book, Jane has left the Denver PD and has her own PI firm. But after a series of bad luck, she is broke and too proud to go back to Denver PD. Jane meets a mysterious woman named Kit Clark who is dying of cancer and asks her to travel to Northern California to track down a man who Kit believes is responsible for the recent kidnapping of a 12-year-old girl in Oakhurst, California. The old woman believes that the same man who kidnapped and killed her granddaughter 14 years ago has struck again. The two journey from Colorado to California and, along the way, learn more about the crime and each other. As always with Dewey's writing, the relationship between Jane Perry and the focal character of her books is the guiding force of the story. She masterfully creates tension and suspense while interweaving human emotion and gritty reality.

Laurel Dewey's books are like no other crime thrillers out there. Whether you love or hate Jane Perry, she is an unforgettable character and one I'll continue to look forward to as the series progresses.

Katherine "Kit" Clark is convinced that the Lou Peters, the man who raped and murdered her granddaughter Ashlee is at it again. When reasonable doubt was proven in the case of Ashlee,Lou is granted a new trial and he was ordered out of prison on bond. Now there is another missing girl and Kit is convinced Lou is the one to blame.
Jane Perry quit the police force to become a private investigator, and things haven't been going so well. While attending an AA meeting she decides to step out for a smoke and meets Kit Clark a sixty eight year old woman who acts well, a bit odd. Kit shows up the next day at Jane's office explaining her granddaughters murder, and how she feels that Lou has abducted the twelve year old girl that is in the headlines. She hires Jane to figure it out, and wants Jane to get it accomplished in ten days or less. Will Jane be able to solve the case?
This book had me hooked from the beginning. Jane is a very tough character who likes to smoke and used to drink, because of her past and the demons that haunt her I felt like these habits actually made her seem more realistic.Kit is someone that reminds me of a sixties free spirited hippie, while she has led a very colorful life she blames herself for Ashlee's murder, and the sad thing is so does her daughter. She is now dying of cancer and believes that the cancer was a product of the hate that festered inside her.
After I started reading this book I realized that there was another book titled "Protector" that introduces us to Jane, but the author does a fantastic job of giving us enough background information that you can easily read "Redemption" as a stand alone work.
Jane Perry is a character that I look forward to reading more of, it will be quite interesting to see how the author continues to develop her.
If your looking for a fast paced thriller filled with mystery and suspense then you need to read "Redemption."

Detective Jane Perry is trying to bring down the bad guys one at a time and on her terms. When an undercover sting operation goes wrong, Jane finds herself in desperate need of money and fast. So when Katherine "Kit" Clark from Jane's "AA" meeting group offers to hire Jane to track down a serial killer in California, the offer is too good for Jane to pass up.

Redemption is the second Jane Perry novel. It can be read as a stand alone novel. Right from the beginning, this book did not hold back. Jane can out swing and hard. Jane is just like one of the guys, which is a good thing. Jane and Kit made a great pair. They reminded me a little bit like Thelma and Louise. Jane as the crazy, unpredictable Louise and Kit as Thelma looking for an adventure. Jane plays be her own rules and if you aren't with her than you better watch your back, that she doesn't put a bullet in it. This book kept a pretty, evenly fast pace. The ending was strong. A surprise was seeing my hometown listed not once but several times in this book. Grand Junction, Colorado is not a town that is usually mentioned when stories take place in Colorado. I have a new favorite author in Laurel Dewey. Everyone needs some Redemption and you can fine it in this book!

My first thought, when opening this book, was 'oh boy'. I didn't think that it would hook me like most suspense novels do. But, upon further reading and getting into the story, I was surprised by the pull this thriller had on me as a reader. I'll admit, that there was use of a lot of F bombs that could have been left out, but, in my opinion, sometimes with a thriller, it's what makes the story. It helps to tell the characters true personality and why they are a part of the story. The roller coaster of ups, downs, ins and outs was awesome, though! By the time I was finished, man, I was out of breath from the fast paced nature of this novel.

Jane Perry is complex. She had a pretty rough time of it growing up, and is an alcoholic, albeit a recovering one. Her issues go deep and really show her complexity in the story. Until she meets Kit, a spiritual woman, something Jane is not. Kit's character is just as complex as Jane, although her complexity comes in the form of a time limit on life, since she's terminally ill. She enlists the help of Jane before she expires, and together the characters become one great big ball of complex personalities and issues. The suspenseful mystery of a killer is mixed into the humorous, yet serious, aspect of Kit and Jane's lives, creating a guessing story throughout the novel.

The action of finding that killer before time runs out is outstanding. I could really feel my heart pumping and my brain working overtime, trying to help Jane and Kit solve the mystery. I was up and down on that roller coaster ride, and became so apart of the novel that I didn't know exactly where I was going to end up, and that left me on the edge of my seat more than once.

I could go on and on with the many things I liked about this novel. I could get right to my thoughts on the ending of this book, but if I do that, then what would be the point in you reading it? You'd know the ending. So, I will end it there. I will tell you that this is a continuing story for Jane Perry, who first appeared in Dewey's novel, Protector, yet, as being one who never read the first novel, it's not confusing and explains things in detail that will catch you up. Redemption is getting high recommendations from me, even though the F bomb is a bad problem in this book, along with 4 star praises. I suggest that if you love the intensity of a fast paced action thriller and mystery, then please get your copy today!

Article first published as Book Review: Redemption by Laurel Dewey on Blogcritics.


As Jane Perry's undercover assignment is blown, she is as angry as hell. Having her bust taken over by the local authorities is like a kick in the pants. Having left a position with the police force and opening her own office as PI, she is very obsessive of her cases. Working with the FBI on this undercover sting was only going to build her business one more step. When she finds out, they have bypassed her and gone with the locals she sees red. Frustrated and worried she finds herself open for a new job. That is how she hooked up with Catherine (Kit) Clark. An older slightly eccentric bohemian type, looking for answers.

Kit is convinced the man who killed her granddaughter so many years ago, has just kidnapped another young girl. Recently released on bail, he is waiting for a new trial. Kit needs Jane's help to track him down and find Charlotte Walker, the twelve year old who recently disappeared. Initially Jane is intrigued. The story Kit tells is tragic, blaming herself, the abduction and murder of her own granddaughter is heartrending. Yet it has destroyed her family and alienated them to the extent they consider her dead. She has come to terms with her life and her part in Ashlee's death. Recently diagnosed with terminal cancer, she wants to put to rest and close the book on Lou Peters the alleged murderer. Now she is convinced he has taken another victim. Jane is hooked.

With media interest in the case, Jane tries to keep a low profile. However, how low can it be when she finds that her client-copartner in the case is just a bit kooky? She drinks jade water, walks backwards for relief of her back, and wears outlandish clothes. She eats herbs and is a naturalist. As Jane delves deeper into the disappearance of Charlotte Walker, she finds out that Catherine has not told her everything.

Immersing herself further in the case, she stumbles on a religious cult. Lou is deep in the group and they believe in his innocence. Lou has ingratiated himself and become close with the founder. Can Jane find Charlotte before it is too late? Will Lou's madness escalate before she can find the clues?

In Redemption, Laurel Dewey further develops the character of Jane Perry who made her first appearance in Dewey's first novel, Protector. Jane is a strong and opinionated character. She is a survivor of physical abuse as a child, and believes she has overcome her past. She is vulnerable because of that past, and it dictates many of her decisions in life. She finds she has difficulty trusting and pushes people away. When offered the chance to become Sergeant, she turned it down. Her old boss Weyler was one of the few people she trusted, but she needed a break, she had to get away. She really begins to like Catherine and get close only to find that Catherine also has a secret, which puts her at odds with the law.

Kit is a likable character, full of flair. She has lived an interesting life, growing up in the era of free love and flower power. She is gregarious and funny, with some extremely odd quirks. She believes her cancer was caused by her anger and hatred after the death of her granddaughter Ashlee. Not only did she feel at fault for her death, her daughter blamed her as well. The pain was so deep that forgiveness would never come. She has made peace with her life but worries at how the hatred in her daughter will make her ill as well. Her companionship is good for Jane, it steadies her in a way she has never had.

The spirituality of the book is subtle and flows throughout the background. It is intrinsic to the story and very interesting. Kit has some very interesting and thought provoking beliefs, without which this novel would not have been the same. Well written, the story is fast paced and thrilling. You will find yourself drawn to the characters and feel their pain as well. The mystery and plot are well researched and very believable.

I would recommend this book for those interested in suspense and murder. It also has a little twist of lightheartedness as well as sadness. I was not prepared to enjoy it as I did. I found it unique and interesting, and could not put it down. This would be a great book for a book club, it spans a time when changes were happening and cultures were new. It would create a great deal of conversation and opinions

This book was received as a free copy through the publicist. All opinons are my own based off my reading and understanding of the material.