The Road of Regret

by Jeff Damron

Detective Leander Justice has been toiling long on his personal road of regret. It is a highway paved with stones of actions and inactions, large and small; choices made, fraught with consequences foreseeable yet unforeseen. He thought he could find an exit on his road, and escape his tragic past. He thought he could return to the innocent, small, Appalachian town of his youth. But it was Lee that had been innocent, not the town. Now the killing has begun. And no one can be trusted. Not his Captain. Not the Coal Baron in residence. Not the Judge. Definitely not the Judge. But even the road of regret forks on occasion. Lee ultimately finds himself at a crossroad. He must choose: The way of Law? Or the way of Justice? As the crimes hit ever closer to his home and heart, he alone must decide how far will he go to protect those he loves.

302 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

I was born in Eastern Kentucky, and after twelve years in the more cosmopolitan Lexington area, I returned here to practice law. I've been back since 1994. I have a beautiful wife, Ann, and we have raised two very fine children - Lauren and Jordan. We also have a Golden Retriever named Buddy. I've always wanted to write a novel, and finally set out to do so in a serious way this year. I hope to write many more books featuring the protagonist of The Road of Regret - Leeander Justice.

Reviews

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were a few moments early on in this book when the author would mention that some behavior or change in the main character, Det. Lee Justice, was due to what had happened to his family. These left me with a vague feeling of "did I miss something?". I blame this on the many books and movies that show the tragedy first and then say "10 months later" or such and continue on with the story. Mr. Damron's decision to slowly unveil what had happened in the detective's past worked well and gives the character a human dimension throughout the book.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. As bodies and explosions started piling up I could barely put it down. And even when I had to put it aside for a bit, I was instantly drawn back into the world that Mr. Damron had created as soon as I started reading again. There are enough plausible suspects and questionable behaviors to keep the reader guessing as to who's behind what misdeeds. What I liked most I think was how all these little secrets and unsavory facts kept getting uncovered- some of which ended up being clues and some just distraction. All those secrets gave the story a slightly grittier, realistic feel. Not that there weren't the occasional "yeah, that wouldn't happen in real life" too-good-to-be-true coincidences and happenings... but really, there aren't too many of them and they don't take away from the story much. I'd have given this book 5 stars if one of those too-good-to-be-true coincidences didn't pop up at the end of the big bit of drama where the killer revealed. I like how it ended, I just wish that little piece of it had been handled a little rougher (but with the same result).

[Emily Northcutt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read the first chapter a few weeks ago on the author's blog, I eagerly anticipated getting to see where Detective Leander Justice's story was headed. I was not at all disappointed with the twists and turns that this tale took me on and frankly, I found myself reading with my mouth agape when some of the surprises were revealed!

"Road of Regret" reminded me (in a great way!) of the police procedurals that I enjoy watching on TV, but I think that fans of FX's "Justified" (which is also largely set in Eastern Kentucky) will REALLY enjoy this murder mystery. The flavor of Eastern Kentucky is often difficult to capture on the page or the screen, but Jeff Damron's roots in the region serve him well in bringing readers a glimpse into the modern mountains. The characters all felt very real to me and I would love to read more stories featuring them.

Well, except for the characters who died. I suppose we might not hear much from them, bless their hearts. Then again, after you've read "Road of Regret", you might not be so sure that's true!

Seriously though, if you're in the mood for a solid southern-fried, hardboiled mystery, download this book!

[NaTaya Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

***May Contain Spoilers***

This book was great. I enjoyed it from beginning to end. I love Detective Leander Justice. He is a damaged man with a lifetime of regret behind him, yet he continues to persevere. Also, he's a complete badass -- sometimes stupid in his decisions, but a badass nonetheless.

The storyline is good. Anyone who reads criminal thrillers has probably read the same storylines told over and over with different characters and different places, but this one has some great twists and turns. There was a LOT going on in this book, but it is tied together seamlessly.

I really, really would like to read more books by Jeff Damron, especially more in the Detective Justice line.

[Harold Walters · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Road of Regret is one more link in a long chain of cops and killers novels. That’s not to say that there is anything wrong with a long chain — after all, it is long, strong chains that keep us anchored safely to our mooring grounds.

Chief Detective Leander Justice is a cop haunted by events in his past. To some extent he has been attempting to outrun the regrets that torment him. But, no surprise, those regrets keep pace.

Caught up in triple murders in his old home town — Prestonsburg, Kentucky — Detective Justice is fated to face his demons, question his former decisions and make a stand — for Law or for Justice.

Would I read another Leander Justice novel?

Absolutely.i

[Esther Somorai · Rating 5 out of 5]

**4 1/2 to 5 star read**
I won this ARC book from the author through Goodreads, first-reads giveaway. Thank you so much.

I enjoyed this story so much, what a nice flow to the author's writing which makes for a fast read. All the characters are great, especially Chief Detective Leander Justice---what a guy. The story draws you in, keeps you moving along at just the right pace throughout, giving the reader a lot to think about. It's exciting, thrilling, suspenseful, and what's going to happen next read. Very minimal use of bad language. One very small place in the story did make me feel uncomfortable reading it, but all in all a great read. RECOMMEND

[Carolyn Keel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I won this book through the First Reads Giveaway program*

This book was great. I really, really enjoyed it. The action was good, the pacing was good, and the storyline was good. There was so much going on, but it wasn't so much that it made the plot threads unravel. The protagonist, Detective Justice, is also incredibly likeable. The book is just damned good. Fans of James Patterson, Lee Child, or other thrillers should definitely check out this book.

[Ty Labar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Lee has to decide whether to remain faithful to his badge or to his heart. A wonderful premise to a good novel. The whole book flowed from start to finish with an undercurrent of excitement. The unexpected developments in the plot were just that: unexpected. Very well written. I would read more by this author.

[Roger Simmons · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book free through Goodreads and the opinion expressed herein is mine.

I found this book to be overall a 4 star book. with it's easy to read English language usage, good story line and large printed wording. I may have given it 5 stars but i found it lacked a few quality details. For instance the writer can describe scenery with vivid imagination, but when it comes down to scientific, forensic and legal linguistics it was really lacking. for example miranda rights are typically read before questioning any suspect, legal cases which the writer implied do not go to trial usually always go to trial in the case of murder since there is an appeals process which must be given under due process and the lack of nformation given during the autopsy which was not described also. For example strangulation is typically referred to as asphyxiation and not strangulation. Cuts and scrapes are referred to as lacerations and contusions. And I would honestly doubt there would be such an open dialogue between officer and "suspect" riding in the car like they were friends and it was another day at the office when questioned about the sleeping bag and his role. Other than this nit picking, the writer did an excellent job at keeping a story line clear and precise and overall I did enjoy the book. I look forward to Mr Justice's next hair raising plot.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was your typical murder mystery. The parts that I wasn't to big a fan of where the random folk songs/blue grass lyrics that where through out the book. I also struggled to understand the role that Lara played in Lee's life...is she gay? was she not? I thought that was kind of glossed over. However with that being said. The book wasn't bad it was an interesting story with some great plot twists. I enjoyed it even though it left me lots of questions.

[Blittle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed following this murder mystery with Leander Justice. It was an easy read that kept my attention, and living in Louisville, KY I was familiar with the territory. Leander is an action figure, with a not so pure past, and reminds me of Lee Childs, Jack Reacher. Looking forward to following him down the road.