RETRIBUTION by Jilliane Hoffman
The march of the lawyers turning into writers of novels goes on and on. The latest attorney to fall into lockstep with the firm of Grisham, Turow et al is Jilliane Hoffman. Ms Hoffman was a former Assistant State Attorney and a Regional Legal Advisor for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Now she is the published author of RETRIBUTION.
RETRIBUTION is Hoffman's first novel and it is a good one. It tells the story of Chloe Larsen, a law student who is viciously raped by a man in a clown mask. This young woman is almost destroyed by the incident and flees New York where she was living. She ends up in Florida where she changes her name to C.J Townsend, takes the bar, and becomes a prosecutor for the State of Florida.
One of the State's biggest cases is dropped in her lap. It is the case against William Bantling, a man accused of being "Cupid." "Cupid" is a serial killer and one of the most wanted murderers in the country. When Bantling is arrested the people of the good state of Florida breathe a collective sigh of relief.
So does C. J. That is until she realizes Bantling is the man who raped her in New York. The question for her conscience is whether or not she should remove herself from the case because of her "prejudice" or stay quiet and do the best job she can. For the reader the question is, what would you do?
For a first time novelist Hoffman certainly displays some impressive writing skills. She manages to build suspense in her story over a long period of time and over a solid number of pages. She also manages to keep the reader off balance in knowing the outcome of the trial and the complete disclosure of the details concerning the serial killings. These revelations she saves until the very end of the story.
Jilliane Hoffman makes an impressive debut. Those who are looking for suspense will find it in her book along with gruesome murders and intriguing characters. Hopefully she has saved some ideas for a second book. Those who read this one will definitely be awaiting the second.
RETRIBUTION is published by G P Putnam's Sons. It contains 420 pages and sells for $24.95.