The Renegades: Charlie Hood series

by: T. Jefferson Parker

Published by: Dutton

Reviewed by Jeff Foster

I stepped into the realm of T. Jefferson Parker–as I had never read one of his books, and as a responsible book reviewer–thought my horizon were not broad enough. I am happy to report that I am pleasantly surprised to have taken the leap.

In his latest in the Charlie Hood series, Parker brings the aforementioned uninitiated reader of his books into his world with prose that is so smooth as to resemble great authors of another era. In other words, I’m hooked.

Charlie Hood is a deputy in the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department. He is still a young man, meaning this series should go for a while. Thank you, Mr. Parker. That in itself should make you want to pick up The Renegades and at least look at the short synopsis of the book.

Once you start the story, the hook comes quick. The story then rolled along at a pace that prevented me from finding a nice place to stop reading. Parker’s ability to set a scene, hurl you into it and continue to describe it, is something I have not seen in a good crime novel in a while.

Hood finds himself co-opted into working for the LASD–Los Angeles Sheriff’s department’s Internal Affairs division–to investigate the brutal slaying of the deputy he had been paired with for a shift one winter night. As the investigation proceeds, Hood, finds there is much more to his partner’s life than he had ever imagines.

The investigation leads to more crimes, corruption and ultimately confrontation, as Hood gets closer to the truth about what caused his partner to die.

The Renegades is an exquisitely written and very well formulated modern crime novel. The story is told primarily in third person, but switches cleanly to first person. This is hard for any author to do successfully, but Parker pulls it off with ease, changing back and forth throughout the novel. This leaves the reader wondering throughout who the story is being told to, stringing you along willfully to the climax, when you will truly understand who is speaking to whom.

Armchair Interviews says: This suspense/crime genre is a great choice for the fireside or the cabana at the beach.

Author’s Web site: http://www.TJeffersonParker.com