It starts with a cold-blooded murder in the snow, a harbinger administering extreme justice in the name of God. It becomes a pivotal journey for both a flailing local newsman and an investigator looking for answers in a series of murders in Philadelphia and one much closer to home for her. Steeped in the backdrop of a very corrupt Catholic Church and an impending papal visit, the stakes rise with the body count and one missing child.
This thriller from Wes Sarginson and Dianna Love introduces a protagonist that is to be part of a series, Riley Walker. Walker is a local newsman, new to Philadelphia, after he fled Detroit in disgrace when a story became deadly. His job on the line, he has 8 days to increase ratings or lose his job. He wants there to be more to the story of a young homeless mother’s murder. He ends up finding way more than he intended or needed for the story. Then the killer calls and he is not only chasing a story, he is an integral part of it.
Kirsten Massey is an over-educated investigator for the City’s District Attorney, pressured by both her boss to solve the case quickly and by her family to return to their media empire and take her rightful place. She is also working on a missing person case that could yield answers in her own mother’s death. She has a deep disdain for Walker and his kind and she struggles constantly to balance her prejudice against the media and her actual experience with this man with the seemingly good intentions.
All of the characters are a little rough around the edges, with the exception of star Detective J.T., a logical source of reason in an otherwise emotional cast. It takes a while to warm up to them, especially Massey. But while their individual motivations are vastly different, they are sympathetic in their shared need for a sort of salvation, just like that offered by the murderous vigilante in the black robe. A fascinating and complex case eases the initiation to the series with a well-developed narrative and a wealth of sinister suspects.
JUSTIFIABLE is a fast moving mystery that keeps the reader engaged and guessing while delving into each character’s unique and urgent motivation for solving a brutal crime spree laced with questions of faith and redemption.
Reviewed by Kat Toland for IndieReader.