Protector

Laurel Dewey
ATN Publishing (2006)
ISBN 9781884820854
Reviewed by Stephanie Rollins for Reader Views (6/07)


Jane Perry has a lot of emotional baggage.  That is an understatement.  Her father, a retired policeman, used to literally kick her while she was down.   Even as an adult in a nursing home, he abuses her.  He verbally belittles her as he reminds her of what he used to do to her and her brother.   She took on the protector role for her younger brother.  She struggles to let that go, though he is now in his 20’s.

Jane is a policewoman.  She drinks and smokes too much.  Her language is strong.  She is known for being an alcoholic and a loose canon; however, she is also known for being a dedicated cop.

A child witnesses the murder of her parents.  She will not talk to anyone but Jane.  Jane is not exactly the kid-friendly type.  When Jane is given the job of being the child’s sole protector, Jane thinks it is beneath her as a cop.

Jane soon finds out that someone in the department is corrupt.  Who can she trust?  Her brother finds a woman he is consumed with.  Her partner seems to have become a jerk overnight; maybe she just realized a jerk, because she was forced to sober up in order to protect the child.

It took me about 30 pages to really become obsessed with “Protector.”   After those 30 pages, I had to keep reading.  There are so many mysteries that seemed to be tangled into one.  Seeing the change from the drunken Jane to the sober Jane was exciting.  Anyone who likes a page-turning mystery will love “Protector.”

Make comment on weblog