Battered Justice by Linda J White

FBI Special Agent Jake Tucker works hard to be an excellent investigator and a great dad to his two kids, even if he is divorced. When a fellow agent is shot south of Baltimore, Jake and his partner Cass McKenna lead a team to find the shooter. Soon the agents are targeting a low-level street gang. Jake keeps finding evidence linking the gang and drugs to a nearby casino, one Senator Chase Westfield helped get approved. Chase is the new husband of Jake's ex-wife, Tam and tension builds between the two men as Jake discovers Chase is abusing Tam--and putting Jake's kids at risk. Soon they're on a collision course from which only one can emerge.  But Lady Justice can be battered, too, and soon Jake finds himself in a new fight–a fight of faith, the fight of his life.

The time between Bambi and Bambi 2 was over 63 years; Cinderella and Cinderella 2 over 51 years and Peter Pan to Return to Neverland over 49 years.  The time between “Bloody Point” and this book, its sequel, is only 10 years.  I’m very happy that Linda didn’t make us wait almost 40 more years to put another great thriller in our hands!

The sting of a divorce with kids is only trumped by the death of a partner and spouse.  Having two agents paired together like this, Cass with having lost her husband and Jake with being divorced, keeps the drama high throughout this book.  Mix in some dark political characters and you have the makings of “Battered Justice”.  When one of their own agents, close to retirement and participating in a basic surveillance operation is gunned down in the streets, Jake and Cass pick up the trail of some drug dealers making this appear to be a “wrong place at wrong time” shooting.  As the investigation leads to bigger paths and bigger targets, the case becomes personal for Jake.  Jake’s ex-wife is now married to a strong local politician with ties all over the city, with one big secret.  Jake is sure that his ex-wife’s new husband, Chase, is abusing his wife and possibly his kids.  As Jake tries to keep them safe, he’s roped into a murder allegation when his ex-wife is found murdered.  With Jake on desk duty, Cass has to go it alone to make all of the puzzle pieces fit together.  Would Jake be able to shake this allegation? Who is behind these drug shipments? Is Chase as clean as his image projects? Do Cass and Jake ever share their feelings about each other? Don’t wait for the sequel to show up at the theater near you, go BUY THIS BOOK!!!!

It’s my blog and I’ll provide my opinion if I want to.  What makes a Christian fiction book?  A great story that may or may not be based on happenings of today, made up of make believe people and places with some creative licensing thrown in to tie everything up in a neat bow at the end of the book.  What make a GREAT Christian fiction book?  When all of those other things happen and the characters have open and honest talks with God in their everyday life and those interactions are challenged and vetted and the reader gets to see a picture of the God we serve through the author’s eyes.  Linda does a perfect job in her books letting us see characters that are flawed like us, but that continue to approach the Throne in their daily walk and decisions.  This book does not disappoint in its action, wit or suspense.  It’s great to find an author that can provide all of that in one book.

Is this a "guy's book"?  FBI Agents, drug smuggling, political corruption, murder.  This list could go on and on but I think you get the picture.  Yep, all of these are in this book.  Yep, this has the markings of a great “Guy’s book”.

About The Author

Linda J. White writes FBI thrillers from her home in rural Virginia. Her husband, Larry, was a video producer/director at the FBI Academy for over 27 years. Mother of three grown children, Linda is also a national-award winning journalist and a women’s ministry speaker. When she’s not writing, she can be found playing with Keira, her Sheltie, reading a book, or dreaming of the beach.


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