Redemption

Laurel Dewey's Redemption is a thriller/mystery novel that, if this is your genre, I don't think you want to miss. I would compare her writing to authors such as - Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver and Faye Kellerman. It is the rough-around-the-edges story of Jane Perry, a stubborn private investigator who has spent the last 6 months of her life trying to get sober and Kit Clark, a free-spirit that follows new age practices who is trying to work with Perry to solve a mystery. When these two women come together they do not mesh! (And which is what gives the novel such a great ride too!) They come to find their commonality when they discover the one thing they both have been looking for - Redemption. I appreciated this - they come to learn much about themselves and make important changes in each of their lives. This novel has so much going for it - suspense, dialoguing about religion, unexpected twists, revenge, and yes, redemption (true to the title). You come to identify with these characters in ways you might not expect. This is not my typical read, but I'm glad I am acquainted with Dewey. She is a strong writer. I am sure there will be more in this Jane Perry series!

Here is what the publisher says about the book:

After a series of life-changing events, detective Jane Perry has resigned from the Denver Police Department. Trying to make a living as a private investigator, she finds her past haunting her at every turn and old demons rising up to torment her.

Then Jane meets Kit Clark, a woman who wants Jane to drive with her from Colorado to Northern California in search of a man who matches the description of the killer who murdered her granddaughter many years before. Kit’s convinced that the man has started to kill again and she wants to stop him. Jane thinks the woman is crazy – especially when she discovers that she’s a New Age devotee – but Jane is desperate for work. They head on the road, gathering critical information about the killer, and themselves, along the way. Jane has recently experienced several events in her life that seem to border on the paranormal, though she is a complete skeptic in that regard. Now, those experiences come with greater frequency. And when the trail of the killer leads to a fundamentalist church, the consequences of belief and faith propel her toward a deadly confrontation.

Once again, Laurel Dewey has created a novel as rich in character as it is in suspense. Juxtaposing spirituality and religion, mission and manipulation, revenge and redemption, this powerful, taut mystery confirms the author as a top-flight storyteller and promises to resonate in your soul.

(For younger readers that read my blog - the language is quite strong in this book - I would definitely gear this to adult readers.)

*I was provided a copy for review purposes by the publisher.