I'm delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for another Paolo Sterling thriller from Lorraine Mace having loved the previous one I read. Big thanks to Emma at damppebbles blog tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.
The Blurb:
Can two wrongs ever make a right?
A man is found by the side of a canal, comatose and brutally
attacked.
It quickly becomes clear that someone is abducting men and
subjecting them to horrific acts of torture. After three days they're released,
fighting for their lives and refusing to speak.
A councillor is accused of fraud.
Montague Mason is an upstanding member of the community.
That is until he's publicly accused of stealing the youth centre's funds - an
accusation that threatens to rip through the very heart of the community and
expose his best-kept secret. But how far would he go to protect himself?
Two cases. One deadly answer.
As the two cases collide, D.I. Paolo Sterling finds he has
more questions than answers. And, when torture escalates to murder, he suddenly
finds himself in a race against time to find the killer and put an end to the
depravity - once and for all.
Rage and Retribution was published in paperback, audio and
digital formats by Accent Press on 13th February 2020.
Purchase Links:
My Review:
Rage and Retribution is the fourth in the DI Sterling series but can easily be read as a standalone. I had only read the first one, Retriever of Souls before this (review here) and didn't feel disadvantaged in any way.
DI Paolo Sterling is unveiling the plaque at the opening ceremony of the youth centre he was instrumental in renovating, but things don't quite go plan and Councillor Montague Mason (brilliant name) is anonymously accused of a crime. It seems like it might just be a stunt, but Paolo is duty bound to investigate. And also to discover who the accuser is from all the staff, volunteers, tradespeople and businessmen involved in the regeneration of the centre.
Meanwhile, an unidentified man has been admitted to the local hospital in a coma with terrible injuries that suggest prolonged, painful torture. His doctor has seen similar injuries before and and calls Paolo in to discuss the situation.
On top of all this, Paolo's personal life is in turmoil on all fronts, and sidekick Dave is being bullied by some of his colleagues. He's also a bit distracted by stuff outside of work.
I like Paolo. He's a straight arrow with a good moral compass and strong sense of right and wrong, sometimes to the point of being a bit blinkered. He loves his family deeply and clearly cares for the people who work under him. Dave too, is a great character. He's much calmer here than when I met him in book one, and is a solid, reliable member of the team. All the characters are brilliantly described - the janitor and the swimming coach at the youth centre are standouts for me in this respect.
And it's just as well these chaps are made of strong stuff. As the seemingly unrelated cases start to look a little less unconnected, Paolo and his team have to deal with some pretty difficult and uncomfortable things. This would seem like a good time to mention that Rage and Retribution features a fair bit of graphic sexual violence, which has stayed with me since reading it, so it won't be for everyone. It made for some uncomfortable reading, but I felt it was an interesting take on the things, once the full story became clear. There's also some entertainment in a local club which is pretty twisted, but novel.
The plot line was complex enough to keep my attention without confusing me too much and there are plenty of red herrings and sub plots. The denouement was tense and had me shouting 'No!' at my Kindle screen. It was nail biting! This is a strong story, with great characters and a hefty dose of sexual violence, perhaps a tad too much for me. But I enjoyed the book and loved seeing what was going on with Paolo - poor guy doesn't get it easy!
Rage and Retribution is the fourth in the DI Sterling series but can easily be read as a standalone. I had only read the first one, Retriever of Souls before this (review here) and didn't feel disadvantaged in any way.
DI Paolo Sterling is unveiling the plaque at the opening ceremony of the youth centre he was instrumental in renovating, but things don't quite go plan and Councillor Montague Mason (brilliant name) is anonymously accused of a crime. It seems like it might just be a stunt, but Paolo is duty bound to investigate. And also to discover who the accuser is from all the staff, volunteers, tradespeople and businessmen involved in the regeneration of the centre.
Meanwhile, an unidentified man has been admitted to the local hospital in a coma with terrible injuries that suggest prolonged, painful torture. His doctor has seen similar injuries before and and calls Paolo in to discuss the situation.
On top of all this, Paolo's personal life is in turmoil on all fronts, and sidekick Dave is being bullied by some of his colleagues. He's also a bit distracted by stuff outside of work.
I like Paolo. He's a straight arrow with a good moral compass and strong sense of right and wrong, sometimes to the point of being a bit blinkered. He loves his family deeply and clearly cares for the people who work under him. Dave too, is a great character. He's much calmer here than when I met him in book one, and is a solid, reliable member of the team. All the characters are brilliantly described - the janitor and the swimming coach at the youth centre are standouts for me in this respect.
And it's just as well these chaps are made of strong stuff. As the seemingly unrelated cases start to look a little less unconnected, Paolo and his team have to deal with some pretty difficult and uncomfortable things. This would seem like a good time to mention that Rage and Retribution features a fair bit of graphic sexual violence, which has stayed with me since reading it, so it won't be for everyone. It made for some uncomfortable reading, but I felt it was an interesting take on the things, once the full story became clear. There's also some entertainment in a local club which is pretty twisted, but novel.
The plot line was complex enough to keep my attention without confusing me too much and there are plenty of red herrings and sub plots. The denouement was tense and had me shouting 'No!' at my Kindle screen. It was nail biting! This is a strong story, with great characters and a hefty dose of sexual violence, perhaps a tad too much for me. But I enjoyed the book and loved seeing what was going on with Paolo - poor guy doesn't get it easy!
The Author:
Born and raised in South East London, Lorraine lived and
worked in South Africa, on the Island of Gozo and in France before settling on
the Costa del Sol in Spain. She lives with her partner in a traditional Spanish
village inland from the coast and enjoys sampling the regional dishes and
ever-changing tapas in the local bars. Her knowledge of Spanish is expanding.
To stop her waistline from doing the same, she runs five times a week.
When not working on the D.I. Sterling series of crime
novels, Lorraine is engaged in many writing-related activities. She is a
columnist for both Writing Magazine and Writers' Forum and is head judge for Writers' Forum monthly fiction
competitions.
A tutor for Writers Bureau, she also runs her own private
critique and author mentoring service.
Author Social Media Links:
Thanks so much x
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure. x
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