{Review} WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOR by Robert K. Tanenbaum

ISBN #: 978-1476793221

Page Count: 384

Copyright: August 15, 2017

Publisher: Gallery Books

Goodreads Summary:

Butch Karp and his wife Marlene Ciampi must stop a radical organization of armed militants bent on the cold-blooded murder of uniformed on-duty police officers. 

When a cop shoots down the son of a respected inner-city Baptist preacher, the community rises up in anger and demands to have the officer prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. But there's something more than a call for justice at work here: a plot to bring down the city s police force through a conspiracy so vast and malicious only Butch Karp and his band of truth-seekers can untangle it.

Mandy's Review:

 
I could not finish this novel. I got about halfway through, reading every word, when I just couldn't do it any more. I skimmed my way through the second half just so I could see how it ended.

I understand that when a writer writes about racial events, slurs and derogatory remarks will be used. I expect that. Otherwise, the subject matter wouldn't feel real. There are slurs, derogatory remarks, and hatred for other races depicted in this novel. Okay, fine. I can deal with that. The way it was written, though, reminded me of a poorly written and directed 80s film.

** SLIGHT SPOILER ALERT AHEAD **

Another issue I had was the attempted shooting of Officer Kim. The crime scene was investigated the night it happened. No trace of a bullet was found and the window Kim was standing beside when being shot at wasn't broken by a bullet. They concluded the window wasn't open because the residents were ordered to leave the windows shut to prevent dirt and dust coming into the complex. Okay, cool. My issue? I don't think the crime scene analysts did a thorough job. Maybe it's because I watch too much Criminal Minds or NCIS but not once (unless it was said in the second half of the book I skimmed through) did they use a computer simulation program to play devil's advocate on where the bullet could have gone. I just think there was a missed opportunity there.

And, dear God, the acronyms. I kept thinking about the readers who aren't as familiar with them as I am. If a person isn't familiar with law enforcement lingo, they'd have NO CLUE what DA, DAO, BOLO and ADA meant. I know this is a long shot because it seems that everyone is familiar with these terms ... but what if they're not?

For me, the story progressed too slowly and it seemed the writer stayed in his head too much. He wrote it in a way that was familiar to him because he lives with these characters. He knows them. I think he needs to take a step back and re-read his work with the view of knowing nothing about any of his characters. I bet he would rewrite some chapters to make it more accessible to his readers' imaginations.


*An ARC of this novel was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.