Title: Retribution
Author: Jilliane Hoffman
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Publication Date: January 2004
Paperback: 448 pages
Genre: Crime
Reviewed by Zosia
RATING: 10/10
BOOK COVER SUMMARY:
When an elite prosecutor faces the most lethal predator she’s ever encountered, it all comes down to a choice between justice . . .and retribution
One rainy night in New York City, outstanding law student Chloe Larson wakes from a terrible nightmare. But it’s not a nightmare-it’s real. A stranger stands over her, a rubber clown mask covering his face, and in one, horrifying instant, everything in Chloe’s life is forever changed. She becomes a victim, a statistic. And no one is brought to justice.
Twelve years later a very different Chloe is forging a formidable reputation as a Major Crimes prosecutor in the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office. For more than a year she has been assigned to assist a task force of detectives who have been searching for a vicious serial killer nicknamed Cupid for the way he kills his victims. Nine women are dead and two are missing and the pressure is mounting to find the vicious killer. When the police stop a speeding motorist on the McArthur Causeway, it seems that the hunt for Cupid is finally over. But as Chloe begins the task of prosecuting the suspect, she soon realises that this case will be anything but easy. Because her past is about to force itself on her present-and the terror is only just beginning.
Sometimes there is a price to be paid for justice. And sometimes that price is awful. Revenge could cost Chloe her sanity. The truth could cost her life.
REVIEW:
What would you do if you walked into the courtroom one morning to discover you’re there to prosecute the man who tortured and raped you?
Is it okay to keep your connection to the man a secret if it means it’s the only chance there’ll be to put him behind bars?
Is it justified to steal evidence in order to keep a mistrial from being declared?
Should you continue to prosecute an evil man when you’re not one hundred percent certain he’s the one who committed this particular crime?
Should you lie to your lover so you don’t risk the one chance you have to punish a man for what he’s done?
So many questions are raised in this book, and there isn’t a right or wrong answer to any of them.
Retribution is one of those books that will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. It raises at least as many questions as it answers, and left me a big, emotional mess. Chloe – now CJ – is not at all the woman she was before her attack, and that one night has resulted in the complete destruction of everything she ever wanted to be. Because of the Statute of Limitations, her rapist can never be arrested and charged or imprisoned for what he did to her – too many years have passed. CJ’s lover is a homicide detective heavily involved in the case, and there’s simply no way she can tell him what’s she’s done to finally get this man behind bars, and what she’s still planning to do to get justice.
What CJ has to sacrifice is enormous, and she has to do it completely on her own.
Jilliane Hoffman is an astoundingly good writer, and only someone with her experience in the Miami courts would have been able to weave such a complex and detailed story. The fascinating case and the twists and turns in the plot continually took me by surprise. The realistic way the trial and the dark police work in general took its toll on the characters was very well-written. All of the characters were interesting; everyone was far from perfect and the conclusion of the story didn’t automatically mean everyone was ‘cured’ of their issues.
I couldn’t say whether or not the ending was right. Who can say what any of the people deserved? What I do know is that this is one book that really makes you think, and definitely makes you question your own sense of right and wrong.
VERDICT:
This has become – without a doubt – one of my favourite books. I wish there were more authors out there willing to take such gigantic risks with their storytelling. Jilliane Hoffman is an astounding writer with a background that’s ideal for the kind of books she writes. Retribution is a book I could easily recommend to a broad range of readers.
SOURCE: This book is from Zosia’s personal library.
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6 Comments
I really enjoy a novel that can take me through lots of different emotional and keep me on my toes with twists and turns I didn't see coming – this seems to be a difficult feat for most books these days, I seem to always know what's around the corner. I love the odd crime novel and this one sounds fantastic!
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Great review, I really want to read this now, great when a book brings up loads of questions!
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Wow, this books challenging but in a good way. Great review!
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Thank you – I get worried when I love a book so much and tell others about it! It definitely one of those books you keep on thinking about long after you've read it.
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Sounds like an engaging read. I'm not sure what I would do in such a situation but I would probably do everything I could to nail the guy. Great review.
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