When someone murders Tom Morgan, his friend, former Chicago police detective Jake Bryant is eager to join the investigation. But Detective Noles, who has the case, doesn’t want Jake’s help. There are few clues; the crime looks like road rage that escalated to murder. Despite the odds, Jake does manage to identify the shooter, but Noles doesn’t have enough evidence to arrest him. Will Jake be able to find the evidence he needs, or will he become judge, jury, and executioner?

Revenge is a book with many characters and a lot of moving parts. It’s an engrossing tale, although there’s a bit more blood and guts than some people may care for. Jake must deal with some dodgy people on his quest for justice, and Jake himself reveals more flaws than your typical hero. Regardless, the story is solid enough to hold the reader’s interest. It’s not a mystery; the killer is revealed early on and even Jake soon learns who he is. Instead, the main storyline revolves around Jake trying to determine what justice for Tom will look like. There are a few subplots thrown in as well.

My main difficulty with the book is that it leaves several loose ends hanging. For instance, as Tom Morgan is dying, one of his last thoughts is the hope Jake will discover and investigate some video evidence he’s hidden. We never hear about that evidence—or its significance—again. Similarly, after an initial dustup with Noles, Jake appears to reach an understanding with the detective. But then Noles disappears from the book. Other characters are introduced only to vanish into limbo as well. All this makes a bit more sense when you consider that Revenge is the first book in a five-book series and, hopefully, the subsequent books may tie the loose ends together.

Still, Revenge is a decent read. It’s not necessarily for those who like their murders neat and clean, yet it isn’t a complete gorefest either. If you like thrillers, you should like Revenge. But you may need to read four more books for everything to totally make sense.