Sunday, May 19, 2019

Shades of Justice



This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Carolyn Arnold will be awarding a personalized paperback copy of Power Struggle to a randomly drawn winner (International Giveaway) via rafflecopter during the tour. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.



The line between good and evil isn’t always clear…

Detective Madison Knight has risked her badge—and her life—in the pursuit of justice before, and she just might need to do so again. Two victims are found murdered and naked in the home of Steven Malone, who is the largest contributor to the Stiles PD. One victim is his wife. The other victim is a John Doe. This high-profile double homicide immediately pits Madison against her sergeant, who seems more intent on protecting the Malones’ reputation and retaining a benefactor than catching a killer.


Madison will need to pull on her tenacity and courage if she’s going to follow the evidence without prejudice. In the process, it becomes clear that finding justice isn’t always black and white, and often the shades in between tell the fullest story—and it’s not something she will forget anytime soon.
My Review...
 Well, once again Arnold had me swinging between “do I tow the line” like Madison’s partner or “do I fight for justice no matter what the consequences” like Madison. Actually, I have this struggle almost every time I read this series. There’s a mean and ugly lieutenant they have to deal with, and he doesn’t just tow the line, he seems to suck up to almost every superior or donor. Even though in my mind I know this is all necessary whether it be a business or a public service department, it always makes me mad. I guess I’m a Madison, and I guess Carolyn Arnold creates her characters personalities so well, she has me gonna “show ‘em” before I get through a few chapters. I think this is one of Arnold’s greatest assets. You wouldn’t think that you could create as much interest or tension when most of the time two people are sitting in a car together. In her stories it seems like so much goes on with a very tight, condensed way of writing. Almost a “the less said the better” kind of thing and I am not sure how she tells a story so fully that way.

I’m sorry. I’m supposed to tell you just a tad about the story aren’t I? Obviously, I got a little carried away. As you can probably tell from the first paragraph Madison Knight is a cop, sometimes called Maddie. Madison is cheeky, tough, sometimes outspoken and always on the right side of justice. Terry is her partner and a friend and yet seems to have some problems this time. Problems that move her emotionally and make her want to butt in and yet make her want to respect his privacy. This is actually a pretty apt description of Madison as a cop. This time Maddie is part of Cynthia’s wedding. Cynthia is the ME on the force. While Maddie’s glad for her friend, she’s about as happy about being involved in the wedding as I would be.

This is Book 9 of a series titled “Detective Madison Knight”. This is what I would classify as crime fiction, a page turner like all of Arnold’s books and once again shows her knowledge of police procedure. No question it can be read as a stand alone. Only problem will be that you will have missed out on the other books in the series.
Carolyn Arnold has many books published; all have high reviews.


Read an Excerpt...

They say someone’s always having a worse day than you are. Who the heck are “they,” and how would they know, anyway? Madison was pretty sure days couldn’t get much worse than the one Kimberly Olson-Malone was having. Madison couldn’t imagine finding her own mother dead—and naked with another man, no less. As much as she felt for Kimberly, she couldn’t let it cloud her judgment. Kimberly had been the one to find them and that alone made her the first suspect.

Terry pointed to the next street as they drove. “Turn right there.”

Even though Terry knew where they were going, Madison was the one driving.

She took the corner, and he pointed at a two-story, gray-brick mansion. With the exception of the forensics van and a police cruiser parked in the three-car driveway, the house had terrific curb appeal with its large front windows and double-door entry.

Madison parked out front on the street.

“Before we go in, I’m going to give you a warning,” Terry said.

She glanced over at him, her hand letting go of the door handle. Was he going to tell her it was a messy scene? There wasn’t much else that turned her stomach as did the sight and stench of a lot of blood. She gulped. The victims had been shot.

“Okay,” she said with trepidation.

“Cynthia’s on the warpath,” Terry said. “She makes your bad moods look like—”

“Be careful of your next words.”

“Or what?” He wriggled his fingers as if to say, Bring it on.

Terry really was the brother she never had. “Why’s she in a bad mood?” Madison asked but could think of at least one off the top of her head: her wedding was mere days away, and a case like this would take a lot of time for evidence collection and processing. That thought led to another. “Oh, no.”

“What?”

“We had plans for a final dress fitting tonight. We might have to push that off.”

Terry arched his brows. “I’m not a wedding planner, but shouldn’t dress fittings have been done ages ago?”

It wasn’t for the lack of trying, but it turned out that when dresses were ordered from different shops, they could be made from different dye lots. With Cynthia’s sister and bridesmaid, Tammy, living in Alabama, she’d gotten hers there while Madison ordered hers in Stiles. With take two, they returned their initial dresses and arranged to get new ones from the same bridal shop in Stiles. “It’s a long story,” was all she said.



About the Author: CAROLYN ARNOLD is an international bestselling and award-winning author, as well as a speaker, teacher, and inspirational mentor. She has four continuing fiction series—Detective Madison Knight, Brandon Fisher FBI, McKinley Mysteries, and Matthew Connor Adventures—and has written nearly thirty books. Her genre diversity offers her readers everything from cozy to hard-boiled mysteries, and thrillers to action adventures.

Both her female detective and FBI profiler series have been praised by those in law enforcement as being accurate and entertaining, leading her to adopt the trademark: POLICE PROCEDURALS RESPECTED BY LAW ENFORCEMENT™.

Carolyn was born in a small town and enjoys spending time outdoors, but she also loves the lights of a big city. Grounded by her roots and lifted by her dreams, her overactive imagination insists that she tell her stories. Her intention is to touch the hearts of millions with her books, to entertain, inspire, and empower.

She currently lives in London, Ontario with her husband and beagle and is a member of Crime Writers of Canada and Sisters in Crime.

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