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With a background in law enforcement, and working as both a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, author Alan Brenham, aka Alan Behr, brings drama and plausibility to the pages of this character and plot-driven novel. Centered around Detective Jason Scarsdale's investigation into a child pornography and pedophile ring, simultaneously the story is interlaced with the vigilante actions of crime analyst Dani Mueller, aka Karla Engel, a mother who sought justice for her own daughter's murder, and looks to save others from the devastation inflicted by heinous child predators.
From the opening scene where the newly widowed Scarsdale stares down the barrel of his own gun, Brenham grabs our attention. Similar moments sustain our interest, such as Scarsdale losing his grip on an escaping perpetrator, and an inopportune mention of Mueller's green Mercedes, a vehicle that could be connected to an ongoing investigation. Readers' senses are equally heightened in the moment we realize a parked van with sights on a little girl, is stalking Scarsdale's daughter. With a major focus on murder and revenge the author sets a steady pace with a story layered in details regarding secret identities, malicious criminals, kidnapping, family tensions, and personal relationships. While these elements clearly weave and intersect the timeline as a whole, in addition, each is well-developed and solid in it's own regard. Brenham succeeds in crafting an array of multi-dimensional characters. We quickly learn there are those with a conscience, as well as those without. While here the traditional stance of good cops vs. bad cops may lend a touch of predictability to the storyline, the mention of a "leak" within the force works to keep readers guessing about which harassing superior has gone astray.
At the heart of this provocative tale, Brenham presents loving, protective parents who will do anything for their children, at any cost. Still there is soul-searching. "The price for the temporary loss of my moral compass was getting steeper all the time and I suspected the final payment was yet to be made." When the stakes provoke life or death consequences, hopefully justice will prevail. Here the risk is an engaging read.