Book Review: The Renegades

Reviewed By: Pat Reid - RAM

The Renegades     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
T. Jefferson Parker
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Police Procedural   Thriller
Series: Charlie Hood
Hardcover, 352 Pages, $26.95

It is a pretty calm night for Charlie Hood of the L.A. Sheriff’s office. Hood and his partner for the night, Terry Laws, a/k/a Mr. Wonderful, go on a routine stop to assist the L. A. County Housing Authority in east Lancaster. The calm did not last long. As Hood and Laws completed the call and stepped back into the cruiser a man stepped in front of the car with a M249 Saw machine gun. Hood survived but Laws was dead.

Jim Warren with the Internal Affairs Division recruits Hood to investigate the shooting. Hood’s investigation leads him down a twisted path. Hood doesn’t want to believe that Laws was anything but an upstanding police officer but the facts are headed in a different direction.

Laws seemed to have more income than was possible for a police officer. Where did the money come from and who was involved? These are questions that Hood is determined to answer but the answers aren’t easy to come by.

The deeper into the investigation the more suspicious Hood is not only of Laws but also the civilian that gets paid $1.00 a year and rode with Laws on patrol.

Drugs and money and trips into Mexico lead Hood on a chase that keeps the reader on edge every step of the way. Hood comes to believe that a previous crime investigated by Laws and Draper is not at all what it seemed.

T. Jefferson Parker is an award winning novelist and The Renegades should most certainly be nominated for an award. The characters are well developed and the story is one that is exciting as well as somewhat sad. I felt some sympathy for the bad guys in this book.

Pat Reid - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Pat Reid - RAM

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