Review of Jake Miller

[peter-turo]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Jake Miller" by Billy Ray Williams.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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Jake Miller by Billy Ray Williams is a crime-thriller investigative novel. The protagonist, whose name is the book's title, is a detective at the Cape May Courthouse Police Department (CMCPD), where he reports to work every morning. He has been involved in numerous cases, and criminal gangs such as the "Cobras" would like to see him dead. He is a former Navy SEAL and has extensive knowledge and skill in the use and handling of weapons, which has made him one of the best detectives the CMCPD has had. He had never thought someday the world would turn upside down for him. A bomb exploded in his house while his wife, Mary, was inside. Her dear wife died from this tragedy. Later, his partner's house was on the verge of exploding—an intruder sneaked in to set up a bomb. C-4 traces collected from both houses were similar. This suggested the same killer was behind this. Read the rest of the book to find out who this mysterious killer is.

When I read the title of the book, I thought the main character would be overused and probably painted with all the good attributes, which was not the case in this intriguing thriller. Jake Miller worked with several other detectives whose details are also well outlined. I must commend the author because of the huge role the book serves. He has thoroughly portrayed the kind of life the police have to put up with. They encounter murder, betrayal, and other challenges. I came to realize that some of the prisoners may have grudges against the police. Some prisoners are powerful and have the potential to organize revenge even when they are behind bars. The wife of Detective Johny "Sonny" Burns, who goes by the name Elly, was cheating and promiscuous. Jake had no home for a while; he was living at Sonny's house. One night, while Sonny was away, Jake was caught in a real trap. The event ended with Jake sleeping with his partner's wife. It got me emotional when Jake's partner fired a shot at his brain. Before he committed suicide, he had first shot his wife in the head after he had realized she was cheating on him and also using his phone to make calls that had the potential to get him taken to jail. She had caused that trouble so she could get her husband's property. Sonny told Jake at the scene of the murder that his wife had confessed to sleeping with Jake, his partner. This got me emotional and sad. These partners had worked together and cared for each other. I came to admire the character of Sonny. He was friendly and kind to Jake. After reading this fast-paced drama novel, I came to appreciate the service from our security and police workforce.

Even though there were many aspects I liked about the book, I also found a part I did not like. After the case involving the murder of her wife, Mary, was finally resolved, Jake Miller later started an affair with Samantha Lamb. She was an assistant DA. The DA asked Jake if he would love and care for her the same way he cared for his wife, Mary. I found that statement not to be true because we never saw an event in which Jake recalled or even missed his wife. The only scene in which he was seen emotionally attached to his wife was after the explosion, in which he cried after realizing his wife was dead. The author could have developed occasions that show Jake to be concerned and caring for his wife.

I rated this book 3 out of 4 stars. I had to knock a star since I found a handful of errors. I found numerous blank pages between chapters. Such errors can easily be overlooked. However, I found errors in the use of quotation marks. The book is written from a third-person point of view. The largest part of this book is composed of reported speech. They were usually inverted quotation marks errors, which got me confused as to who was speaking. I had to be extra careful, therefore. This is a book with the potential to attract a huge audience if the author will consider giving it another round of editing. I did not give it a lower rating considering that I enjoyed the plot and the well-developed characters.

This book is only meant for adults—profane language is widely spoken. There is also an explicit sex scene with enough details added to it. Readers who are sensitive to religious curse words that involve mentioning the Christian God may want to look elsewhere. I thoroughly recommend Jake Miller to mature crime-thriller enthusiasts.

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Jake Miller
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