Justice Gone by N. Lombardi Jr

When a homeless war veteran is beaten to death by the police, stormy protests ensue, engulfing a small New Jersey town. Soon after, three cops are gunned down. A multi-state manhunt is underway for a cop killer on the loose. And Dr. Tessa Thorpe, a veteran's counselor, is caught up in the chase. Donald Darfield, an African-American Iraqi war vet, war-time buddy of the beaten man, and one of Tessa's patients, is holed up in a mountain cabin. Tessa, acting on instinct, sets off to find him, but the swarm of law enforcement officers get there first, leading to Darfield's dramatic capture. 

Now, the only people separating him from the lethal needle of state justice are Tessa and ageing blind lawyer, Nathaniel Bodine. Can they untangle the web tightening around Darfield in time, when the press and the justice system are baying for revenge? 

Justice Gone is the first in a series of psychological thrillers involving Dr Tessa Thorpe, wrapped in the divisive issues of modern American society including police brutality and disenfranchised returning war veterans. N Lombardi Jr. is the author of compelling and heartfelt novel The Plain of Jars. 

‘Justice Gone’ narrates an incident where a homeless person was beaten to death by a few police officers and the consequences that ripple through time. It can be said that it was a shameful accident, at least that is what the authorities were trying to pull but that would be a lie. It was in fact a murder which was done by three policemen, who in place of protecting the citizens were in fact discriminating and bullying them.  

The fact that it was a War veteran also brings out the sad condition of American society and economy when it comes to their military personnel. The author portrays the derogatory way in which the American society fails to comprehend the needs of the soldiers retiring home after facing war. It shines light on the severe case of PTSD and other traumatic mental conditions in which these war heroes are mired. In a nutshell it portrays the uphill battle of few persons who wants justice for the victim. It also shows the racism that is still quite prevalent in U.S. The currents and wheels of the political environment clearly is something which has no connection to justice. It is a statement which is true for the whole world. As the lawyer in this story says, it is not seen if one committed a crime or not, someone has to be the scapegoat and most criminals are victims of that policy. 

Tessa’s character is admirable and the way the narrative flows is commendable. The fast paced tight plot grips a reader quite at the beginning. It also has interesting twists and especially the totally unexpected ending is something which I never saw coming. I surely thought that the killer was someone else. Except Tessa other characters can feel a bit flat and boring. And the plot sometimes does get a bit confusing but it isn’t a bad quality as such. Tessa is someone who shines like the Sun; it is not fair to the other characters to be compared to her. The countless political jargon and law jargon can get a bit tiring at times and most would find these long descriptions boring but they are needed to understand the story so really I can’t blame the author. 

Overall I must say as far as thrillers go, this book is quite good.

Disclaimer
I received this book as a part of review program in Outset 

https://rakhijayashankar.blogspot.in/ in exchange of an honest review