Review: Fatal Judgment

Back cover blurb: U. S. Marshal Jake Taylor has seen plenty of action during his years in law enforcement. But he’d rather go back to Iraq than face his next assignment: protection detail for federal judge Liz Michaels. His feelings toward the coldhearted workaholic haven’t warmed in the five years since she drove her husband—and Jake’s best friend—to despair…and possible suicide.

As the danger mounts and Jake gets to know Liz better, he’s forced to revise his opinion of her. And when it becomes clear that an unknown enemy may want her dead, the stakes are raised. Because now both her life—and his heart—are in danger.

IMO: Once again, Irene Hannon has taken us into the world of a top law enforcement branch, and she doesn’t let her fans down. This time, her main character is a member of the U. S. Marshals. Fatal Judgment, is the first book in the Guardians of Justice series and won’t be the last on my “to be read” list. 

Though he barely knows her, Jake has a preconceived idea about  Liz, based on conversations with her husband–now deceased. Then her life is threatened and he’s sent to guard her against the unknown assailant who shot her sister. The more he sees her in action, the more he begins to wonder if he shouldn’t have been more attentive to his old friend’s problems.

In the years since her husband died, Liz has immersed herself in her work and fought the persistent, inward accusation that a decision she made played a part in his death. With her sister’s shooting, self-recrimination digs deeper. After all, she was the one to urge her sister to leave an abusive relationship.

Romance. Danger. Misconception. A warped sense of justice. We get it all. But there’s also forgiveness of self, both on Liz’s part and Jake’s. If he had been there for his friend… If she had made a different decision…

A fun fact: Mark Sanders, an FBI agent and the main character in An Eye for an Eye, makes a comeback in this novel as he looks for the man terrorizing a federal judge.

If this book has a downside, it’s that it’s too much like the Heroes of Quantico series in which we met Mark. The lawman, the woman he’s responsible to protect—it was a bit cookie-cutter. But if you like a suspenseful story based in the world of law enforcement (and I do), you’ll find Fatal Judgment to be the right dessert for your sweet tooth.

I have received no compensation for this post and have no material connection with any product(s) mentioned.