The Sons of Jude by Brandt Dodson Review and Kindle Fire Giveaway For Pump Up Your Book!!

About the Book:

When Chicago detectives Frank Campello and Andy Polanski are assigned to investigate the murder of Trina Martinez it seems like an ordinary homicide. An unfortunate young girl in the wrong place at the wrong time has been brutally murdered. But their investigation is halted by a wall of silence, a wall erected by powerful interests that will render their inquiry a lost cause.

Then they enlist the support of reporter Christy Lee – and come under immediate fire. Polanski is arrested. Campello threatened. Christy is attacked.

It’s the case that every cop gets. The one that changes his life. The one where justice is elusive and the hunter becomes the hunted.

Frank Campello and Andy Polanski are The Sons of Jude.

Review

(Written by my daughter Kara Kelly)

They say to never judge a book by its cover. And I don’t. But the cover of the book has to make sense in relation to the story. The cover of Sons of Jude by Brandt Dodson features a young female cop, but there is no young female cop in the story. The story’s main characters are two male cops and a young female reporter. While reading the book, I kept expecting to see a young female cop appear, but it never happened. 

While the cover doesn’t make sense to the story, the story itself was good. Amazon features this description:

“The body of a young woman is found in a dumpster in Chicago and detectives Andy Polanski and Frank Campello are charged with finding the killer. The two are polar opposites. Polanski is the son of a disgraced Chicago police officer and is fastidious about his reputation. He has also recently been transferred from another district having blown the whistle on some corrupt cops. Campello, however, takes a live-and-let-live approach to his life and job.

It soon becomes clear, as another young woman--a potential witness--is murdered, that a sex-trafficking operation in Chicago is preying on illegal aliens. As the ill-matched pair dig deeper, an influential alderman and his son are implicated. Then Polanski is framed for a narcotics offense, devastating the cases against the corrupt officers and the alderman. Only when Campello is challenged by a local minister, whom he meets when visiting Polanski, does he find the motivation to seek justice.”

The story itself features interesting characters, all of whom are flawed, which is important to any story. Without exciting and flawed characters, the words on the page can fall flat. The chapters are short, which makes for an easy read, but the book is only 256 pages long and I found the story didn’t really start picking up until halfway through the book. Campbello and Polanski are at odds with each other, but for a main character, Polanski seemingly disappeared halfway through the book, with only a few mentions here and there. Although it’s integral to the story why he stopped appearing on the pages, it still didn’t make sense because his character is integral to the plot of the story.

Sons of Jude is a decent read, if you are a fan of Chicago and police fiction. There’s no question that Brandt Dodson is a former police officer himself. The best part about the story is the accuracy regarding police operations. There was less suspense than I was expecting, and by the end of the book I wasn’t surprised at the outcome, which was a tad disappointing because I like to be surprised and caught off guard when I read crime thrillers or mysteries. I expect a twist that I didn’t see coming, or some great revelation about a character that came from left field. Overall, for a police crime thriller, the book is a good read and should be recommended to fans of crime genres.
I received a copy of this book for review and was not monetarily compensated for my review...

About the Author:

Brandt Dodson was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, which he would later choose as the setting for his Colton Parker Mystery series. Although he discovered in grade school that he wanted to be a writer, it would be another twenty-one years before he would put pen to paper.“I knew in fifth grade that I wanted to be a writer. Our teacher had given each of us a photograph which we were to use as inspiration for a short story. The particular photo I was given was of several young men playing handball in New York City. I don’t remember all of the particulars of the story now, but I do remember the thrill that writing it gave me.”

Later, while in college, one of Brandt’s professors would echo that teacher’s comment.

“But life intervened and I found myself working at a variety of jobs. I worked in the toy department of a local department store and fried chicken for a local fast food outlet. Over the course of the next several years I finished my college degree and worked for the Indianapolis office of the FBI, and served for eight years as a Naval Officer in the United States Naval Reserve. I also obtained my doctorate in Podiatric Medicine, and after completion of my surgical residency, opened my own practice. But I never forgot my first love. I wanted to write.”

During his early years in practice, Brandt began reading the work of Dean Koontz.

“I discovered Dean’s book, The Bad Place, and was completely blown away by his craftsmanship. I read something like 13 or 14 of his back list over the following two weeks. It wasn’t long after that I began to write and submit in earnest.”

Still, it would be another twelve years before Brandt was able to secure the publishing contract he so desperately desired.

“I began by writing the type of fiction that I enjoyed; I wrote edgy crime thrillers that were laced with liberal amounts of suspense. Over the years, I’ve begun to write increasingly more complex work by using broader canvases and themes.

Since securing his first contract, Brandt has continued to pen the type of stories that inspired him to write when he was a boy, and that have entertained his legions of readers.

“I love to write, and as long as others love to read, I plan on being around for a long time to come.”

Brandt Dodson’s latest book is the crime thriller The Sons of Jude.

Visit Brandt Dodson’s website at www.brandtdodson.com.

Visit Brandt Dodson at Twitter: http://twitter.com/BrandtDodson

Like Brandt Dodson on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/brandt.dodson

Become a friend with Brandt Dodson at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2597.Brandt_Dodson

Pick up your copy of The Sons of Jude at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/The-Sons-Jude-Series/dp/0857212052

Please copy and paste a book excerpt here.http://www.amazon.com/The-Sons-Jude-Series/dp/0857212052#reader_0857212052

 

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