Shades of Grey

Children of the Enemy by D.J. Swykert

Disclaimer: I received this book from the author in exchange for a review.

Summary: Jude St. Onge is a man on the run. He is an addict who has stolen a large cache of drugs from Detroit drug kingpin Mitchell Parson, who is determined to retrieve the drugs and take his revenge on Jude. After the torture slaying of Jude's wife, and the kidnapping of Jude's daughter, Angelina, the last thing Mitchell Parson expected to hear when he picked up the phone was: "I have your sons." Raymond Little, with a murder conviction in his past and newspaper reporter Ted Rogers have become unusual allies with Jude in an attempt to rescue his daughter. Together they kidnap Parson's two boys, hoping to secure Angelina's release. Risks for both hostage-takers skyrocket as the two sides square off, while Detroit Homicide Detectives work the case unaware of all that is at stake in the investigation. Only Ray and Ted can save the endangered children in Children of the Enemy.

Review: A oftentimes violent but satisfying tale of revenge and fighting for what is most important.

The author warned me that this book could be violent and it certainly was, but not as violent as I thought it would be. This book could still be triggering to some people who have gone through violence or similar situations. What I like about this book is that while the violence was certainly violent, it was often for a good purpose (for Raymond and Ted). Ray was an unlikely hero, but he was the right person to get Angelina back and was earnestly trying to help Jude get better. Ted was mostly caught in the middle, but he still did the right thing even though it could have meant jail time.

Children of the Enemy features an incredible amount of coincidences that occur to bring all the characters together. It was close to being too much, but it didn't get over. The biggest coincidence was Jude meeting Raymond. Without that, the story would have been much different. While I am not personally familiar with the life Jude was in, I can only imagine how horrible it is. Jude is the most tragic character in this book.

Rating:

Recommendation: I would recommend this book to those that are looking for a realistic and gritty crime drama.