3.5 Stars
Peter Leech has been in prison for 18 years, convicted of killing both his parents. To this day, he maintains his innocence, believing his brother did the actual killing. Now he is up for parole and will do anything, anything at all to get out. After all, he has a desire to issue his own brand of justice on all those who put him behind bars.
Doc Powers will be one of the psychiatrists deciding Leech's future ... he was also the psychiatrist who testified against him in court, calling him a psychopath. But Doc Powers has other things on his mind .. he actually fears for his sanity. Just a few months prior, his pregnant wife was killed in an auto accident .. and he was the driver.
Judy Finch is a fairly new parole officer who interviews Leech for the parole hearing. Now Leech feels that Judy is his soulmate and she's just waiting for the chance to be with him.
The first half of the book is basically how he spends his time in prison .. bulking up and never forgetting his enemies. Actually, he dispenses with a couple of them before he's paroled. He's smart and he's cunning enough that no one can prove these were not accidents.
The rest of the book takes place outside the prison once he is released. His brother and his wife, Finch and her young son, Powers, and others who originally put him away are all affected .. and all are terrified.
The first half of the book dragged just a tad for me... lots of things happening, but not quite holding my interest. I did persevere because the premise was a good one. It did get better the farther into the book I got.
The characters felt a little off, although Leech as the bad guy was a good fit. Powers, for being a psychiatrist, carried his guilty feelings over his wife's death a bit too much, mostly drinking to access. Physician Heal Thyself. Why didn't he go for counseling ..he knew he had a problem.
Judy Finch reminded me of a bobble doll that sits on the dash of a car and bobbles with every pothole you hit. She came across as a little too needy.. setting her eyes on Doc even knowing that he was still struggling with the loss of his wife. I loved her son and her mother. They were terrific.
All in all, not a bad read .. just not the best I've read. The author does have another book, The Hack, that I would like to read.
My thanks to the author and Booklover Catlady Publicity who furnished a digital copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.