Anyone
who suggests to C.P. Rowlands that she should write anything besides an
adventure/thriller book should be taken out and punished….harshly. Her first book Lake Effect Snow was excellent; then she wrote a romance. Fortunately, she has returned to what she is
very good at with Jacob’s War. She needs
to stay in that genre.
Allison
Jacob is an ATF agent who is working on a joint task force trying to uncover a
drug ring operating around Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Katie Blackburn is a business owner whose
world collides with Allison’s the night she comes out to her car and finds a
bloody woman in it. The woman is one of
Allison’s contacts and now Katie finds herself pulled into the investigation. Katie has a connection to the drug ring that
she won’t be aware of until the end of the book, but it leads to her
cooperating with Allison to try and find the leader of the gang. Such a close working relationship leads to a
closer romantic relationship, but both women have been hurt before and are
reluctant to commit. Then there is that
shadow connection of Katie’s, which could get them both killed.
Most
Americans are probably not aware of the serious meth problem going on in the
northern Midwest of their country.
Traveling through those states, which most people associate with the
dairy industry and healthy living, can be a shock when the numerous signs and
postings about the drug situation become apparent. Rowlands, who lives in Wisconsin, obviously
is very informed about the problem. She’s
done extensive research on the drug war and the police procedures involved with
trying to combat it. This gives a
feeling of gritty reality to her story.
Rowlands
is excellent at creating suspense in her stories and in crafting
multidimensional characters. Neither
Allison nor Katie is a simpering, weak woman dependent on the other for her
strength. Most “suspense” stories seem
to require that one character fill that slot.
Instead, they are both strong women, with weaknesses. This makes them fuller and more interesting
characters. Rather than wanting to
scream at the silliness so common in some female characters in this genre, the reader becomes invested in
what they are doing. The reader gets an
inkling of what is really going on before the characters do, but this adds to
the suspense. It’s similar to being in a
movie theater and yelling at the character not to open that door because the
viewer knows that what is behind it isn’t good.
Jacob’s War is a page turner right up to the end.
C.P.
Rowlands has done a masterful job in allowing her main characters to develop
their personal identities and of capturing the danger of dealing in the drug
war. The cover of the book suits the
story perfectly, though the description on the back is a little sketchy. There is a running tag line on the front
cover that says “Drugs, murder, drugs, sex, drugs….” What should have been added is “suspense,
suspense, suspense.” The book is fast paced and draws the reader along. This is easily a book that can be read in one
sitting. It wasn’t intended that way
probably, but putting the book down is difficult.
Jacob’s War marks the much needed return of
C.P. Rowlands to the mystery/suspense genre.
Let’s hope she doesn’t forget how to find her way there again.
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