It’s 1987 and Chicago’s streets are in upheaval from the rival drug cartels that rule them, supplying the city with an influx of heroin. Police detectives Marcelle DeSantis and Bernie Bernardelli are investigating a series of drug-related murders that seem to point toward a brewing war that they’re both desperate to stop. Soon enough, their investigation zeroes in on one Robert Thornton, a cunning military man who once betrayed the soldiers he trained to kill in a covert mission during the Vietnam War. Thornton is wanted by those who survived his betrayal years ago, even as he uses more violence to seize control of Chicago’s drug trade for a Southeast Asian cartel. Marcelle and Bernie, along with anxiety-ridden IRS accountant/financial crimes investigator John Shepard, are dragged into the fray with dangerous consequences—and revenge that comes from someone they don’t see coming until it’s too late.

David Rabin’s IN DANGER OF JUDGMENT builds an intricately-plotted crime thriller that’s cinematic and wildly compelling. The author’s prose is concise and “unputdownable,” skilled at giving a tangible sense of the time period these characters inhabit. On top of that, its well-researched foundations shine through at every turn—from Chicago’s diverse layout, to Vietnam-era and drug cartel political and strategic machinations, to the inner-workings of federal investigations. All of this is wrapped in deftly-layered suspense; conflicts that brew steadily in the background, woven expertly around the other moving parts of this complex plot.

There’s a character-driven narrative at its heart, all of which are drawn with a satisfying, messy, chaotic and wonderful realism. Marcelle’s snarky, sass-laced one-liners and eagerness pair well with Bernie’s wry humor and seasoned grit, occasionally offset by their long-suffering boss. But these people have a deep care for one another, and Bernie has this strong, likable, honest “everyman” presence that anchors the novel. They are joined by John, a man made of quirks, barely held together by anxiety and a sometimes debilitating social ineptness. Behind that, though, John hides much about his past, and seeing his character grow while his friendship with Bernie takes shape, is one of the most engrossing parts of the book.

Other characters claim the spotlight, too, like another one of Thornton’s would-be assassins, whose chilling movements add an intense subplot. Thornton himself is a richly constructed villain; a man who prefers being called “professor,” who has a deep appreciation for knowledge and learning yet harbors a brutal, understated lethal edge to his put-together exterior. When all of these personalities finally collide, it’s a treat to watch how it plays out. But while the narrative is propelled by its characters, the story is never short on action. A tense shootout at the abandoned silos is a highlight, where the deeper mystery shifts to the forefront. And seeing that implications of that long-buried mystery is a captivating twist in itself. The final act of the book ties everything in and takes readers to a suspenseful, fast-paced conclusion.

A stunning debut, David Rabin’s IN DANGER OF JUDGMENT is an engrossing page-turner. Shocking twists barrel full-speed into an action-packed and tense crime thriller readers won’t see coming.

~Jessica Thomas for IndieReader