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Charles Kenney The Son of John Devlin ISBN 13: 9780449002575

The Son of John Devlin - Hardcover

 
9780449002575: The Son of John Devlin
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Charles Kenney has written an authentic, compelling, morally complex novel of the men and women of law enforcement, penetrating the very heart of police culture--and bringing the powerful, tumultuous brotherhood of cops brilliantly to life. In The Son of John Devlin, a determined detective fights to clear his father's tarnished name.

The U.S. Justice Department has declared war on the widespread corruption in Boston's police force, turning up the heat big time for detective Jack Devlin, assigned to snare cops on the take and root out vice in the rank and file. "The dirty cop will inevitably reveal himself. He'll always give off a sign, an indication."

Tough words to hear for Jack Devlin, whose father was tied to the biggest scandal in Boston's history. Stripped of his honor, Jock Devlin died disgraced, a suicide, before his case went to trial--an act of cowardice that forced young Devlin to grow up in the shadow of his father's shame, creating personal demons that would drive him from a promising career as a Harvard-educated lawyer into the unlikely field of law enforcement.

Now, more than twenty years later, a letter from his father surfaces, pushing Devlin to reopen old wounds. Through conflicting emotions of anger and devotion, he searches for truth, hoping to uncover the secrets behind his father's infamous fall from grace and tragic death. But what he finds could bring the Boston police force to its knees--and there are some who would kill to keep history silent.

Flesh and blood characters in a page-turning plot. The gritty language of cops under fire. The explosive tension of the precinct. Charles Kenney weaves these elements into a tight, intelligent novel of people and principle that is also an absorbing, unforgettable thriller.

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Review:
An old man who has lost his daughter in a fire because of crooked cops on the take is talking in his shabby apartment to a policeman investigating the case:
There was a smell of something burning, and O'Connor went and flipped open a toaster oven and pulled out a charred English muffin with melted cheese. He plucked it with a fork and held it for a moment as though wondering what to do with it. Suddenly, he flung it hard in the direction of the sink, but it was too high, struck a coffee mug and knocked it against the wall, breaking the handle. O'Connor turned red with rage and faced Jack. "God knows what happened," he said. "God knows the truth."
That combination of rage, frustration, and faith fuel this stunning thriller by Boston journalist Charles Kenney, whose first novel (the memorable Code of Vengeance, now in paperback) marked him as one of the best new writers on the scene. Jack Devlin, a Harvard law school graduate, has joined the Boston police department as a detective, mostly to probe the mystery of why his father--an honored and much-loved officer--killed himself when Jack was a boy after being accused of bribery. Jack finds evidence that suggests the elder Devlin was innocent. At a church mass for fallen police, at which his father's name is never mentioned or listed, Jack prays "for his father, whom he had loved so dearly. Then hated so desperately. Then loved so dearly, yet again."

Kenney has the rare blessing of compassion for all of his characters, the fallen and failed as well as those seeking the truth. When Jack Devlin takes advantage of the love of a worthy woman to help clear his father's name, we fear for the relationship but also trust that whatever the author decides will be right for the resolution of this immensely moving story. --Dick Adler

From the Publisher:

Starred Review
"Deception, greed and betrayal drive this well-plotted, moving thriller. Rough-edged but appealing Jack Devlin, a Harvard Law grad who's now a detective with the Boston police, has been assigned to covertly investigate suspected corruption in the BPD ranks. Devlin knows about dirty cops--his father killed himself when he was accused of bribery, a disgrace his son has nver lived down. In fact, the influence of the past permeates and corrodes the events at the heart of this stunning story. For a while, Devlin's investigation seems linked with Assistant U.S. Attorney Emily Lawrence's probe of a giant morphine deal involving a former state legislator, and Devlin plays a dicey double game with Lawrence as he falls in love with her bold, canny beauty. But when Devlin finds a letter his father wrote just before his suicide, his anger, shame and devotion set him on a parallel investigation--to uncover the truth behind his father's dishonorable death. All investigations, the corrupt and courageous, converge in the powerful ending, in which readers understand that nothing is as it has seemed. Filled with tough, poignant portraits, disappearing evidence, suspenseful stakeouts and unexpected plot twists, Kenney's (Code of Vengeance) thriller is also distinguished by the author's compassion for his characters." (Jan.)

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  • PublisherBallantine
  • Publication date1999
  • ISBN 10 0449002578
  • ISBN 13 9780449002575
  • BindingHardcover
  • Number of pages308
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