Reddition Political Thriller
Independently Published
July 15, 2018
356
A novice lawyer's life unravels as he defends an executed San Quentin murderer and derails a politician's bid for the California governorship.
Young, naïve, inexperienced lawyer, secretive, mysterious client, and a conspiratorial Pandora's Box combine to make REDDITION an on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller.
Lang Lawton, a junior partner in his uncle's fading law practice, is handed what is being called a slam-dunk murder case and given the directive to plea-bargain. But is his client, Rue Theodore Day, guilty? Why the unusual name? And why is Rue claiming to have been dead? As Lang probes and unravels the mystery, he is drawn ever deeper into a web of deceit and betrayal, dating back two decades. The more he digs, the more his world crumbles. Yet he continues to prod. To what end? A notorious Mexican billionaire pursues him. A candidate for governor has him locked in his sights. Who will win? Who will live? Who will die? Reddition keeps you guessing to the very end.
Reviewed by Sherry Perkins
Member of the Paranormal Romance Guild Review Team
Reddition means restitution or surrender. I had to look it up. And if a title ever fits a book, this one does. That’s about all I can say without giving away the plot because nearly everything in “Reddition” is a spoiler.
The premise is about a lawyer, Lang Lawton—the junior partner in the family’s law firm—who agrees to take on the case of a prisoner who claims he’s already a dead man. The prisoner has a name, which in itself is a spoiler, Rue Theodore Day. Rue has been accused of being a cop killer. If only the case were that simple. But it’s not. What starts as a legal thriller quickly morphs into political intrigue and a twisted tale of both restitution and surrender.
John Blenkush has written other books including “Stacy’s Story,” and the “Solstice” dystopian fantasy series. Several of the “Solstice” books have been reviewed by The Paranormal Romance Guild previously. I haven’t read them yet. Therefore, I have no sense of Blenkush’s usual voice or style.
“Reddition” is written in a quite distinctive style. It’s noir-ish, so it’s lean and mean, quite dark and violent at times. Women can be depicted in a way that might be irritating to some readers; however, in the context of noir, it is characteristic of another time.
As far as the thriller genre goes, “Reddition” certainly keeps you guessing, with plenty of plot twists and turns. Some twists I saw coming, some I didn’t. But I like books that keep you guessing and “Reddition” did exactly that.
By the way, the book cover is also quite befitting, a little teaser about what’s to come.