Redemption Road by John Hart

Published by Thomas Dunne Books on May 3, 2016

Redemption Road is an intense psychological drama. Characters are living with dark secrets, or trying to find a way to live with them. With strong dialog and cinematic descriptions of settings, John Hart makes it easy to visualize the characters as they move through the chaos of their lives. If they are moving along a road to redemption, it is a twisted road that may not lead to the expected destination. The main characters in Redemption Road are seeking a path to empowerment more than redemption. They want to get some version of their lives back.

Elizabeth Black’s father is a preacher who sees everything as black or white. Elizabeth is a cop who sees a lot of gray. But Elizabeth is being investigated for shooting two unarmed men 18 times in a manner that suggests torture. The shooting occurred as Elizabeth rescued a young woman named Channing who was kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Elizabeth has been suspended as she waits to learn whether she will be charged with double homicide. Adding another complication to her life, Adrian Wall is getting out of prison.

Adrian, a former cop, served 13 tough years before his release on parole. Elizabeth is haunted by the memory of finding a woman’s body sprawled across the altar of her father’s church and by Adrian’s arrest for that crime.

At age 14, Gideon Strange is 13 years past his mother’s murder, a death that psychologically destroyed Gideon’s father. The time has come, Gideon thinks, to take revenge. That means killing Adrian Wall.

As all of these plot threads weave together, more women die, and the lives of Adrian and Elizabeth become even more chaotic. They are entangled with a strong cast of characters, including Channing and her parents, the warden who agreed to Adrian’s early release, Elizabeth’s partner, and an elderly lawyer named Crybaby Jones.

Redemption Road focuses on character development rather than action, but the plot builds dramatic tension from the first page. The reveal at the end isn’t entirely surprising, although it comes with a surprising twist that ties characters together in an unexpected way. I thought I would be disappointed if the reveal turned out as I suspected it would, but any disappointment I felt was outweighed by the novel’s multiple virtues.

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