I really enjoyed this police procedural crime novel. It’s not a constant stream of tension and thrills, but there’s plenty of it mixed in with the slower pace of police investigation. In other words, it’s realistic. TV cop shows have to get their story done in less than an hour, so people not familiar with police work tend to think it’s all an adrenaline rush. There’s plenty of that, but there’s also the routine hard work of investigation, including a lot of deadends. The author of Righteous Assassin gets that right and held my interest throughout.
The character of the killer was really well done, and I liked the flashbacks that gave the reader a look into his mind leading up to and after each of his earlier kills. I also liked the way the author addressed the very timely topic of affirmative action. At first I was surprised it was even brought up, but as the story progressed, I liked the way the characters dealt with how they felt about it.
The romantic interest between Mike Stoneman and Michelle McNeill was also well done and seemed more realistic than a lot of fictional romances, especially ones involving more mature couples. The only complaint I have with their part of the story is that it just seemed to drop off the radar at the end.
All in all, I’d recommend Righteous Assassin to anyone who enjoys police procedurals.