A number of criminals have escaped punishment for serious crimes now becoming targets of a mysterious vigilante known as The Enforcer (shades of Dexter?). Operating partly through the dark web, The Enforcer believes that people who have escaped justice through the legal system deserve to be punished. The vigilante's actions quickly become more violent, creating considerable pressure on the local police department.
Sydney gets assigned to the task force investigating the identify of The Enforcer. One of the central complications is that it appears The Enforcer is getting information from inside Walsh County law enforcement. The only person Sydney is sure isnt’ the inside source is herself. Everyone else on the force is a potential ‘traitor’. This creates a moral dilemma: The Enforcer is committing crimes, but the victims are some bad people in NE Ohio. Sydney must therefore investigate someone who believes they are correcting failures in the justice system.
The situation is complicated when a veteran police officer is stalked and evidence begins to suggest that corruption maybe a core of possibilities within the detective branch. As the investigation develops growing media attention, hidden secrets, suspicious behavior, and increasing body count make the case increasingly dangerous. Sydney must rely on her instincts and evolving investigative abilities while trying to determine whether The Enforcer is an outsider—or someone much closer to the investigation than she realizes
The author ramps up the suspense with each new victim, the attempt to narrow down the insider, and the ‘who’s next?’ question. Gregory continually introduces new clues and suspects, making it difficult to predict who is responsible. Sydney is an able and thoughtfully creative combining the unusual combination of her former athletic career and new life in law enforcement
The novel is not without weaknesses. The dialogue can be slow and formulaic; less convincing than the overall plot. The other thing is her professional tennis background. This is the 2nd Sydney Livingstone novel, so I don’t know the back story from the first book. I’m under the naïve assumption that a police officer usually spends several years ‘on the street’ before taking the detective’s exam and other qualifications needed to become a detective. It looked to me like she sort of joined the force and rapidly moved up the ladder to become a detective or tested out for detective right out of the academy. She seemed too inexperienced and young to be a detective. But what do I know.
Overall, Serves You Right is an entertaining mystery thriller that combines police investigation with questions about justice and revenge. Sydney Livingstone is an engaging central character, and the twists help maintain tension throughout the novel. Get past my curiosity about her lack of experience, take her background at face value, and you’ll have an entertaining read.
A number of criminals have escaped punishment for serious crimes now becoming targets of a mysterious vigilante known as The Enforcer (Shades of Dexter?). Operating partly through the dark web, The Enforcer believes that people who have escaped justice through the legal system deserve to be punished. The vigilante's actions quickly become more violent, creating considerable pressure on the local police department.
Sydney gets assigned to the task force investigating the identify of The Enforcer. One of the central complications is that it appears The Enforcer is getting information from inside Walsh County law enforcement. The only person Sydney is sure isnt’ the inside source is herself. Everyone else on the force is a potential ‘traitor’. This creates a moral dilemma: The Enforcer is committing crimes, but the victims are some bad people in NE Ohio. Sydney must therefore investigate someone who believes they are correcting failures in the justice system.
The situation is complicated when a veteran police officer is stalked and evidence begins to suggest that corruption maybe a core of possibilities within the detective branch. As the investigation develops growing media attention, hidden secrets, suspicious behavior, and increasing body count make the case increasingly dangerous. Sydney must rely on her instincts and evolving investigative abilities while trying to determine whether The Enforcer is an outsider—or someone much closer to the investigation than she realizes
The author ramps up the suspense with each new victim, the attempt to narrow down the insider, and the ‘who’s next?’ question. Gregory continually introduces new clues and suspects, making it difficult to predict who is responsible. Sydney is an able and thoughtfully creative combining the unusual combination of her former athletic career and new life in law enforcement
The novel is not without weaknesses. The dialogue can be slow and formulaic; less convincing than the overall plot. The other thing is her professional tennis background. This is the 2nd Sydney Livingstone novel, so I don’t know the back story from the first book. I’m under the naïve assumption that a police officer usually spends several years ‘on the street’ before taking the detective’s exam and other qualifications needed to become a detective. It looked to me like she sort of joined the force and rapidly moved up the ladder to become a detective or tested out for detective right out of the academy. She seemed too inexperienced and young to be a detective. But what do I know.
Overall, Serves You Right is an entertaining mystery thriller that combines police investigation with questions about justice and revenge. Sydney Livingstone is an engaging central character, and the twists help maintain tension throughout the novel. Get past my curiosity about her lack of experience, take her background at face value, and you’ll have an entertaining read.
ECD
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