Saturday 20 December 2014

Book ~ "Lethal Rage" (2010) Brent Pilkey

From Goodreads ~ When an organized drug gang starts selling crack dyed black, Division 51 of the Toronto Police gets the brunt of the action and street cop Jack Warren and his partner face the ugly realities of crime in their city.

To gain experience, Jack, a young Toronto police officer, has recently transferred downtown to 51 Division, known for its drugs and prostitution.  A new crack (Black Crack) has been introduced by a drug dealer who is trying to take over the area.  It becomes the mission of the officers of 51 Division to find and stop him.

51 Division is a lot different than what Jack is used to but he's loving it!  His wife, Karen, and her parents, though, aren't.  Karen thinks 51 Division is too dangerous and wants Jack to transfer out of it.  Her parents have never made it a secret that they don't think Jack is good enough for their daughter.  Needless to say, this causes tension at home.

What attracted me to this book is that it's set in Toronto and makes no secret that it is.  As Jack and his fellow officers were racing around the east end of the downtown core, I knew exactly where they were.  Plus I like mysteries.

This is the first book I've read by this author (it's the first in a series) and I enjoyed it.  I liked the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective with the focus on Jack.  I thought the pace moved along well.  The author is a cop and had spent many years in 51 Division so writes from experience.  Even though the story is fiction, it was interesting to get the insight into the life of a cop, both on the job and at home.  As a head's up, there is violence, adult activity and a lot of swearing.

I liked Jack.  Despite what his in-laws may think, he is intelligent and driven.  He enjoys being a cop and making the city a better place.  It was interesting to watch him evolve to become more hardened the longer he was in 51 Division.  There are officers who are supporting characters and despite their different personalities and quirks, most were hardworking and loyal to each other.

I'd recommend this book and look forward to reading others by this author.

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