I have to say that reading The Digest Enthusiast (the review of which you could read in Rubber Axe as well) has ignited in me an urge to read some nice fiction as well. It was quite a long time ago when I did that, as I usually read only various reference books and non-fiction stuff. Well, for some strange reason I’ve longed for some crime fiction.
Crime stories are not exactly what I would aim for, so it’s strange, but sometimes it’s good to get out of one’s comfort zone and try something different.
And by chance I’ve picked up the book The Sex Club by LJ Sellers. By the way, this one is the first book in a series of The Detective Wade Jackson Mystery, which contains – if my research is up-to-date – 12 books so far. I have expected some hard-boiled (neo)noir stuff, but boy, was I mistaken.
Now, to be honest, and I do agree with some reviewers on Amazon – the book title is not the best one (maybe a little generic and trying too hard), but I’ve picked it up because of it being the first in the series, so it hadn’t really mattered to me. But I had to mention it. OK, back to our review.
Wade Jackson, or more precisely, the Detective Wade Jackson is no square-jaw tough guy living for work, booze and ocassional one night stand. On the contrary, he is a divorced guy with a teenage daughter Katie.
But first we are introduced to Planned Parenthood employee Kera Kollmorgan, examining our soon-to-be victim, a young girl named Jessie Davenport. The book actually contains two intervining, independent storylines. No, make it three. First, we have Kera’s story, as she is threatened by a religious anti-abortionist bomber (although we know who the person is, basically from the beginning), and that’s a little separate story, as some of the book is told from the bomber’s point of view.
The third arc is the story of our main “hero”, Wade Jackson himself, as he investigates the death of a young teenage girl, whose naked body is found in the dumpster.
What’s worse, it’s little close to home, as the victim was a friend of his daughter.
From the moment the body is found and identified, we’re presented with a well-thought and written story, where religious zealotry, politics, connections mix, where teenagers have terrible and terrifying secrets and people don’t hesitate to kill to achieve their goals.
I wish I have more time nowadays to read more, as it took me about 4 evenings to finish the book, I think the tensions between the law enforcement and their main suspect (I don’t want to spoil some of the book twists, so I won’t say who), as I guess in the real life it wouldn’t be that easy. But then, maybe it would, what can I say.
I’d recommend this book to all parents. Because some of the things, although terrible to even imagine, are too real and in the world we live in, not unthinkable to happen. I have to admit it left me, as I’m a father to 2 years old little princess, with an uneasy feeling. Shit happens, but these things shouldn’t. Is it the price to pay for the luxuries of life? Well, I leave it to the reader to decide.
Myself, I am looking forward to read another one in the series. It was a good book to choose.
You can find it on Amazon.
