Book Review: Redemption

Reviewed By: Catherine Thompson - RAM

Redemption     Amazon US HC Amazon UK PB Amazon UK HC Amazon Canada HC
Richard Burke
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Psychological Suspense   Thriller   Kidnapping
Orion, $24.95 trade paperback, 277 pages

Matthew Daniels comes home from his job as a governor (warden) at HMP Pentonville to discover that his wife Charlotte hasn’t arrived home from work. Calls to her mobile phone go unanswered. By midnight, he’s more than worried. The police come at his call, but they don’t seem particularly concerned. When they leave, Matthew receives a phone call, a man’s voice: “‘Calling the police was a big mistake. Anyone would think you didn’t want to see her again.’” Charlotte has been kidnapped, and the kidnapper wants £150, 000. If Matthew calls the police again, first the kidnapper will kill Charlotte’s unborn child, then he’ll kill Charlotte.

Desperate, Matthew turns to someone he hoped never to see again: David Gordon, who now goes by the name of Monk. A killer. A criminal. But he has the contacts Matthew needs to find his wife and deal with her abductor. Monk brings Matthew closer to the wrong side of the law than he has ever been before. But if he doesn’t follow, Matthew will lose his wife, their baby, and perhaps even his sanity.

Redemption is a dark journey into the London underworld, a place of fear and violence. It is also the journey into two men’s souls: one a righteous man who plays by the rules; the other a man who is what he is, no more and no less.

Redemption is Richard Burke’s second novel, following the well-received Frozen. I hope to see much more from this author in the future. He understands how to get into a character’s mind, whether that character is a prison governor or a woman terrified she’ll lose her baby or an underworld crime boss.

Catherine Thompson - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Catherine Thompson - RAM