Redemption

It has been said that Jack Jordan in the master of the moral dilemma. I fear I must disagree and declare him the God of the moral dilemma!

While Redemption has a different vibe to Do No Harm and Conviction, the ethical quandary is still there in spades. The difference with Redemption is that Jordan explores the complicated, often stark emotion of grief; as well as the multitude of ways it can affect people and change the ways they might ordinarily behave. I felt connected with this particular dilemma more than the others. I don’t know if that’s because Jack’s writing is even better in Redemption, or if it’s because I understand and have experienced intense grief.

I love dark and engaging books, and often the thinking I do while reading them is trying to workout whodunnit. While the feelings I experience are usually those of tension and the thrill of the chase. Redemption had those things too, but it also really made me feel on a visceral level. I understood the characters’ motivations in ways that I often don’t in a regular crime thriller.

Every character, whether main, secondary, or minor was full and well-rounded. I believed in each of them and was truly upset when one of the more minor characters died. They were only present for a couple of scenes, but I already felt I knew them and my heart broke when I realised what was to happen.

Redemption is a different kind of crime thriller, one I think the community has been crying out for. Having read Jack Jordan thrillers for a few years, I can see how his writing and storytelling grows stronger with each book and I am certain they will continue to do so in books to come.