Thursday, March 22, 2012

Gods and Fathers - James LePore




James LePore is one of my favorites among the current group of thriller writers, and his latest novel, GODS AND FATHERS, may be his best yet.

Matt DeMarco is a successful assistant district attorney in New York City, but his personal life isn't going nearly as well as his professional one. He's divorced, his ex-wife is married to a fabulously wealthy international businessman, and his college-age son can barely stand him. Matt doesn't hesitate to leap to his son's defense, though, when the boy is charged with the brutal rape/murder of his girlfriend. There's no doubt in Matt's mind that his son was framed.

Because of his position, Matt has to investigate the case unofficially, with some off-the-books help from friends of his in the law enforcement community, and his poking around reveals the fact that the case isn't nearly as simple as it appears to be at first. Instead it's tied in with an international conspiracy with roots that go back for years, and LePore does his usual masterful job of weaving all the plot elements together.

LePore's protagonists are always appealing: flawed but decent people who find themselves in over their heads, trying to make the best of dangerous situations. He has the storyteller's knack of moving things right along, as well. GODS AND FATHERS is an entertaining, well-written book, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

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