Rendered with gritty realism: My review of "The Sons of Jude" by Brandt Dodson

Detective Frank Campello is a "cop's cop", fiercely loyal to the Chicago Police Department, who he considers to be closer than family. Detective Andy Polanski is determined to be a different sort of cop than his father, who ended his police career in disgrace. When Andy blows the whistle on two detectives who planted evidence on a suspect they killed, he is seen as a turncoat by seemingly every member of the department, and is soon transferred out to Campello's division where they become partners. Soon they are thrown into their first case involving the body of a young woman found in a dumpster, and they must put aside their differences to track down the truth, facing corruption and hostility to do so. When Andy is arrested for a narcotics offense, they realize that the corruption goes deeper than they'd even suspected, and only by joining forces with a courageous reporter can they seek justice.

I greatly enjoyed this well-plotted mystery and police drama, enjoying the action packed scenes and the twists and turns as I tried to figure out who were the good guys and who were the bad guys in the department. The characters are rendered with gritty realism, and it is clear that Dodson has an insiders view of what it means to work in law enforcement. The book raises interesting questions about ethics, about how far is too far for police officers to bend the rules in an environment where it seems like the bad guys have all the power. I love how the importance of truth and justice shines throughout the book, values that are God-given and yet seem to be missing all too often in our world today. The Sons of Jude is an entertaining read, and I am quite certain that readers who enjoy books starring police officers will enjoy this first book of a promising series.

This is the first book written by Brandt Dodson that I have had the pleasure of reading, but it certainly will not be the last. I look forward to future installments in this series. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Kregel, for the purpose of this unbiased review.

about the author....

I am an author of crime-thrillers and the creator of the Indianapolis-based Colton Parker series, featuring hardboiled Private Eye, Colton Parker, as well as the stand-alone novels, White Soul and Daniel's Den.

My most recent novel, The Sons of Jude, will release in the UK in July 2012 and in the U.S. in September. It is the first in the Sons of Jude series, and is set in District 28 (The Castle) of the Chicago Police Department.

I come from a long line of police officer and was formerly employed with the Indianapolis office of the FBI. I am a former resident of the Chicago area and currently live in southern Indiana where I at am work on the next novel in the Sons of Jude series: Chicago Knights.

You can visit me at: BrandtDodson.com