SHAWN WILSON - RELENTLESS (2019)

 

Synopsis/blurb.....

Cherry blossom season is Washington, D.C.'s most beautiful time of the year. But as tourists flock to the city, this year's festivities are marred by the discovery of the naked body of a young woman floating in the Tidal Basin. Veteran homicide detective Brian (Brick) Kavanagh is assigned to the case. He's shocked when he learns the victim is connected to another homicide which makes the investigation very personal for him. Brick's efforts to solve the case are thwarted by departmental politics and a rush to judgment. Convinced that justice has not been served and the wrong person is in jail, Kavanagh risks all to relentlessly pursue the truth. Overlooked evidence ultimately leads to a devastating conclusion in a heartbreaking case.

Relentless was another book enjoyed via Audible. It starts out as a standard police procedural, with Washington detective, Brick Kavanagh along with his partner investigating the death of a young woman found in water. The victim's brother who was known to Brick also turns up the victim of another homicide. The direction the case seems to take, indicates it's in relation to a people smuggling ring and there's some overlap with a Hispanic gang. A man is arrested, confesses and is charged.

The book takes an interesting turn then, with Kavanagh, after a bust up with a fellow a-hole cop and a dressing down and suspension from his boss, turns in his gun and badge. Concerned that the man who confessed to the crime is getting railroaded, Kavanagh offers his investigative services gratis to the man's attractive female lawyer. 

I quite liked the twisted tale that the author spun here, with a few different story strands and supporting characters helping the give the book some flesh on the bones...... a young pregnant girl with a wayward husband and fears for her future, an Irish bar owner trying to do the right thing, Brick's cop partner Ron and the Vietnamese defence lawyer.

I was convinced by Kavanagh's sense of right and wrong and his pursuit of justice. I like that he surrounded himself by friends who felt similarly. An outlook that judges people as individuals rather than bracketing them as minorities of different ethnicities is always a positive.

There's a decent setting, a reasonable pace, an interesting main character with some family back story and an exciting climax, though it's one that comes a bit out of left field. 

More to like than dislike and I would be interested in seeing what the author does next with the main character in a future book. That's the benchmark of enjoyment from me - would I want to spend more time with the author's writing and Kavanagh? On this occasion, probably yes.

3.5 from 5     

Relentless is a debut novel from author Shawn Wilson.

Read - (listened to) October, 2020

Published - 2019

Page count - 288 (7 hrs 39 mins)

Source - Audible purchase

Format - Audible

I did have a copy courtesy of Net Galley, which unfortunately didn't survive the death of the last laptop.