Blog Tour: Redemption by Laurel Dewey

Welcome to Laurel Dewey's Redemption Blog Tour hosted by Tracee at Pump Up Your Book.  Below you will find a book summary, book review and some author information.  Enjoy!  =)

Book Summary:

(Given to me by Pump Up Your Book)

After a series of life-changing events, detective Jane Perry has resigned from the Denver Police Department. Trying to make a living as a private investigator, she finds her past haunting her at every turn and old demons rising up to torment her.

Then Jane meets Kit Clark, a woman who wants Jane to drive with her from Colorado to Northern California in search of a man who matches the description of the killer who murdered her granddaughter many years before. Kit’s convinced that the man has started to kill again and she wants to stop him. Jane thinks the woman is crazy – especially when she discovers that she’s a New Age devotee – but Jane is desperate for work. They head on the road, gathering critical information about the killer, and themselves, along the way. Jane has recently experienced several events in her life that seem to border on the paranormal, though she is a complete skeptic in that regard. Now, those experiences come with greater frequency. And when the trail of the killer leads to a fundamentalist church, the consequences of belief and faith propel her toward a deadly confrontation.

Once again, Laurel Dewey has created a novel as rich in character as it is in suspense. Juxtaposing spirituality and religion, mission and manipulation, revenge and redemption, this powerful, taut mystery confirms the author as a top-flight storyteller and promises to resonate in your soul.

My Review:

Cover

I think the cover relates well to the book once a reader has read the book.  If this is the first Laurel Dewey novel that you have read, like me, you wouldn't know that the blue Ford Mustang is symbolic of Jane Perry on the hunt.

Plot

This novel grabbed your attention from the start and didn't want to let you go.  The character interactions were wonderful, the main plot and sub-plots were extremely well thought out and written.  This was a mystery/suspense novel that kept you guessing until the very end.

Characters

Jane is a complex woman.  She's fiercely independent and has a hard time trusting anybody due to her childhood experiences.  She is a recovering alcoholic who still stumbles upon occasion.

Kit is a free spirit.  She's wholeheartedly into spiritualism (not religion) and symbols/signs.  She is terminally ill and solicits Jane to take a job to try and resolve some of Kit's inner anguish before her time runs out.  Kit is motherly with a healthy dose of quirkiness.

The remainder of the characters are believable enough to impart a realistic feel to the story without overpowering the reader with useless information.

Overall

This is an extremely well written novel that is a must read for all mystery/suspense reading aficionados.

About the Author:

(Taken from inside back flap)

Laurel Dewey was born and raised in Los Angeles.  She is the author of two nonfiction books on plant medicine, a Silver Spur nominated Western novella, hundreds of articles, and the first Jane Perry novel, Protector.  She lives in Western Colorado with her husband, where she is at work on the third Jane Perry novel.

Additional Info:

If you're interested in knowing more about this novel, you can visit Laurel Dewey's official site.

Want to read the first three chapters of Redemption?  Then click here!

Check out Laurel Dewey's Q&A session concerning Redemption here.