Official Review: Terminal Justice by Lyle Howard

Please use this sub-forum to discuss any crime, thriller, mystery or horror books or series.
Forum rules
Authors and publishers are not able to post replies in the review topics.
Post Reply
Scerakor
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2146
Joined: 13 May 2013, 13:43
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 315
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scerakor.html
Latest Review: Gaslighting & Narcissistic Abuse Recovery: by Don Barlow

Official Review: Terminal Justice by Lyle Howard

Post by Scerakor »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Terminal Justice" by Lyle Howard.]
Book Cover
3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review


Have you ever watched with horror as a mass murderer, who is evidently guilty, walks free from a courtroom based on a technicality? Take that rage, combine it with a master plan to use terminally ill patients as human-bombs of revenge, mix in the moral struggles of an ex-policeman, and you get the plot of Terminal Justice by Lyle Howard.

This action-packed thriller tells the tale of August Bock, the CEO of a company called Worldwide Dispatch Incorporated. Officially registered as a shipping company, the real enterprise is much, much darker. Having previously been let down by the criminal justice system as a lawyer, August Bock created this company in order to take justice into his own hands. He seeks out terminally ill patients with money problems, offers them extravagant amounts of money to be bequeathed to their loved ones after their death, and sends them in to kill violent criminals that haven’t been rightfully convicted. What would you do?
Ex-policeman, Gabe Mitchell, is presented with just this dilemma. Having lost his wife, lost custody of his seven-year old son, and just been told that he will not survive the next six months, Gabe Mitchell is approached by August Bock with a proposal. Gabe has 24 hours to decide whether he ensures his son is taken care of for the rest of his life by killing someone else, or to stand by his personal morals and try to expose the whole operation.

Terminal Justice is a book that keeps you flipping the pages over and over and ensures that you are engrossed until the very last chapter. This book had me second guessing myself many times throughout and had me continually trying to figure out where the next twist was going to come. I loved the premise of the book and how the author makes August Bock’s horrifying proposals seem attractive. You can’t help but put yourself in the shoes of these terminally ill patients and wonder what you would do in their stead. Besides the moral questions in the book there was quite a bit of action as well. Between the operations that August Bock undergoes to the hi-jinks of Gabe Mitchell, dull moments are few and far between. My favorite part of this book would have to be how, especially in the second half of the book, there are many plot twists and turns that keep you struggling to guess where the plot is headed.

The main issues that I have with this book are directly related to its realism. I realize that this is a book of fiction and that liberties can always be taken, but when a book is supposed to be entirely plausible there are some items that are hard to ignore. First, for a company that is based on taking the law into one’s own hand in order to correct injustice, there are immense amounts of collateral damage. With the, apparently, bottomless bank accounts, you would think that the company would be able to not kill numerous innocent bystanders along with their target. Unfortunately if that happens, the plot line of using terminally ill patients tends to crumble with it. In addition to this, without giving away any spoilers, some characters survive some very sticky situations where, quite frankly, they would have had no chance whatsoever. The thing that I disliked the most would have to be this lack of realism.

Despite the potential plot holes and the issues with the book being believable at times, I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. The book won its third star since I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book and would recommend that others read it, but the fact that I could pull apart the whole premise by suggesting the company only kill the intended victim, prevented me from giving it fourth star. I would wholeheartedly recommend it for those that are looking for a fast paced action/thriller that has plenty of twists and turns to keep you amused. If you don’t read action based novels, are squeamish with plots that have a lot of death, or are not intrigued by multiple plot twists, this book may not be for you.

******
Terminal Justice
View: on Bookshelves

Like Scerakor's review? Post a comment saying so!
User avatar
Amagine
Posts: 5441
Joined: 04 Mar 2017, 19:27
Favorite Author: James Patterson
Bookshelf Size: 721
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-amagine.html
Latest Review: "Salome and Gogo visit Soweto" by Cora Groenewald
Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG
fav_author_id: 3251

Post by Amagine »

This sounds like a thriller novel indeed! I agree that the plot doesn't seem completely realistic. Despite that, it's very interesting and it's a story line I've never seen before. Using terminally ill patients to carry out acts of murder? That's deep. It sounds like the almost perfect book for thriller fans.

Great Review! ?
"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude." -A.A Milne

"I am grateful for all the books that sparked my imagination." -Unknown
Latest Review: "Salome and Gogo visit Soweto" by Cora Groenewald
User avatar
kandscreeley
Special Discussion Leader
Posts: 11683
Joined: 31 Dec 2016, 20:31
Currently Reading: Believarexic
Bookshelf Size: 486
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-kandscreeley.html
Latest Review: The Elf Revelation by Jordan David

Post by kandscreeley »

Despite its lack of realism, this book really sound quite intriguing. I think the story sounds interesting enough to give a try without the realism. I'll just have to use my suspension of disbelief. Thanks for the review. I'm going to put this on my to read list!
A book is a dream you hold in your hands.
—Neil Gaiman
Scerakor
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2146
Joined: 13 May 2013, 13:43
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 315
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scerakor.html
Latest Review: Gaslighting & Narcissistic Abuse Recovery: by Don Barlow

Post by Scerakor »

Amagine wrote:This sounds like a thriller novel indeed! I agree that the plot doesn't seem completely realistic. Despite that, it's very interesting and it's a story line I've never seen before. Using terminally ill patients to carry out acts of murder? That's deep. It sounds like the almost perfect book for thriller fans.

Great Review! ?
It does keep you on your toes and really striving to figure out more about what is going on! Thanks for the comment.

-- 13 Apr 2017, 08:44 --
kandscreeley wrote:Despite its lack of realism, this book really sound quite intriguing. I think the story sounds interesting enough to give a try without the realism. I'll just have to use my suspension of disbelief. Thanks for the review. I'm going to put this on my to read list!
All things together it really was a fun read. If the plot intrigues you, you can definitely look pas some of the flaws. Thanks for the comment.
User avatar
Donnavila Marie01
Posts: 931
Joined: 19 Dec 2016, 02:39
Currently Reading: the one
Bookshelf Size: 89
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-donnavila-marie01.html
Latest Review: "America, It Was Just An Idea" by Dr. Rayna M. Gangi

Post by Donnavila Marie01 »

Congratulations for the excellent review. This story of distorted justice is an exciting read. Our justice system is not perfect. This forces other people to seek for justice outside the system.
Latest Review: "America, It Was Just An Idea" by Dr. Rayna M. Gangi
Scerakor
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2146
Joined: 13 May 2013, 13:43
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 315
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scerakor.html
Latest Review: Gaslighting & Narcissistic Abuse Recovery: by Don Barlow

Post by Scerakor »

Donnavila Marie01 wrote:Congratulations for the excellent review. This story of distorted justice is an exciting read. Our justice system is not perfect. This forces other people to seek for justice outside the system.
That is what makes this book so intriguing, we can relate to the "villain" up unto a certain point, if only they would consider things a bit differently. Thanks for the comment!
User avatar
Chrys Brobbey
Posts: 276
Joined: 03 Apr 2017, 00:40
Currently Reading: Farmer Beau's Farm
Bookshelf Size: 134
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-chrys-brobbey.html
Latest Review: "Break up with Defeat" by Jermaine Francis

Post by Chrys Brobbey »

This theme might have been inspired by the suicide bombers of present days, except that the bombers are misguided ideologues or innocent victims. In reality, it is painful to see criminals walk off free on technicalities, as has been the case with some high profile trials. But eventually, nemesis catches up with such criminals. What needs to be done is to make the laws as foolproof as possible, so that some crafty attorneys cannot dribble their way through.
Latest Review: "Break up with Defeat" by Jermaine Francis
Scerakor
Previous Member of the Month
Posts: 2146
Joined: 13 May 2013, 13:43
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 315
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-scerakor.html
Latest Review: Gaslighting & Narcissistic Abuse Recovery: by Don Barlow

Post by Scerakor »

Chrys Brobbey wrote:This theme might have been inspired by the suicide bombers of present days, except that the bombers are misguided ideologues or innocent victims. In reality, it is painful to see criminals walk off free on technicalities, as has been the case with some high profile trials. But eventually, nemesis catches up with such criminals. What needs to be done is to make the laws as foolproof as possible, so that some crafty attorneys cannot dribble their way through.
That is an interesting thought on the origins of this book. You are perhaps right. I completely agree that there are issues with a justice system that has loopholes, but unfortunately I still see no way to make a system foolproof. One that is based on being judged by a juror of your peers lends itself to bias, one that doesn't can be corrupted, loopholes may set people erroneously free but air-tight laws may wrongfully convict. We just have to hope that everyone involved in a trial at a given time has society's best interest at heart. Thanks for the comment and interesting thoughts.
Post Reply

Return to “Crime, Thrillers, Mystery and Horror Books”