Question E

[Jonetta]

Meanwhile, Penn returns to his former West Mercia team for the trial of a case where he was the first officer on the scene. The case is falling apart and he’s forced to re-examine everything. Did you learn anything new about him or did he confirm what you already believed? At anytime did you feel suspicious about any member of his team?

[Sharon]

Penn is a good cop. As soon as he realizes his case is in danger, he begins to look at the events again to see what he missed and make it right. His actions confirmed what I already believed about him.

I wasn't suspicious of his old team. They all appeared to be friends even if everyone changed a little. I felt that he didn't belong with the West Mercia team any longer. Penn found a new niche with Kim's team that he likes. Both Penn and his old team knew he was temporary, and didn't want to invest additional work time on a temp.

[Robin]

I agree with Sharon. Penn's actions confirmed everything we've learned about him. He was determined to find out if the person he arrested was innocent, and exactly who did it.

I wasn't suspicious of his Wester Mercia team at all. They seemed like they had worked well together before he left.

[Jonetta]

I’m also in agreement with you both. Loved seeing Penn in action, his methodical approach to analytics and strong instincts.

I never had a whiff of suspicion about his old team other than to think Penn was a better fit with Kim.

[Lisa - (Aussie Girl)]

Penn's interaction with the victim's father Mr Kapoor reinforced what we had already surmised about him. Caring, decent young guy who is also meticulous about his work. Usually in this series there is some crossover in seemingly unrelated cases. At this stage I had no thoughts about his past colleagues I was trying to link the two cases together, unsuccessfully at this point.

[Lauren]

Penn is an honest cop and a good man. His determination to uncover the truth about the case only reinforced his characterization established in previous books.

As to his team, it was interesting to me that he feels like he belongs with Kim and her team so quickly. It made me think that his relationship with his old team was never as strong. This is proven correct by Doug's actions.

That said, I did not suspect the team of involvement until Jasper was taken and it was made clear that he would only have gone willingly with someone he knew. I actually suspected Lynne before Doug because of her prior relationship with Jasper and the money she seemed to have.

[Jonetta]

When you speak of the dynamics of Penn’s old team, it made me think of their leadership. Travis is deeply distracted by his wife’s illness and his affection for his sister-in-law. Perhaps that distraction kept him from seeing Doug more clearly and has affected the cohesion of his team.

[Lauren]

That's an excellent point, Jonetta.
Due to his family situation, he is definitely not on top of things with his team. Perhaps this is why Penn is more at home with Kim's team and their close-knit relationships.

[Jonetta]

I’m beginning to think so.

[Sharon]

Great point Jonetta. I didn't think about that.

[Lynn]

I was never suspicious of his team, but Penn's dedication was never in question for me.