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Book Review of Retribution (C. J. Townsend, Bk 1)

Retribution (C. J. Townsend, Bk 1)
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The Barnes & Noble Review
This debut novel by a former assistant state attorney is a crime drama/courtroom thriller offering authentic forensic details, legal quandaries, and a surprising, enthralling plot.

After Chloe Larson is raped and left for dead by a madman in a clown mask, she changes her name, starts a new life in Miami, and becomes a prosecutor for the state attorney. A dozen years later she's given the task of prosecuting William Bantling, who is suspected of being "Cupid," a serial killer who butchers women. Chloe recognizes him as her rapist and begins to slide towards a possible mental breakdown. As she tampers with the case to make sure Bantling pays for his crimes,, she's beset by the question: Even if Bantling is her assailant, does that prove he's also Cupid?

Hoffman provides expert twists throughout a novel that starts off grippingly and never lets up. With smooth prose, and an inviting narrative style, the author creates believable and sympathetic characters, and although Retribution is intensely graphic and unsettling at times, Hoffman brings expertise and street credibility to her work. This is a darkly compelling, often gut-wrenching novel about a victim's attempt to balance the craving for personal revenge with the desire for justice. Tom Piccirilli