Reviews for Protector (Jane Perry Series #1)

The average rating for Protector (Jane Perry Series #1) based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-12-31 00:00:00 James Aylesworth I got this for free in one of the Barnes and Noble Free Friday giveaways so I guess I can't complain too much. The story's not bad and the writing's not terrible but, if you're looking for an original storyline, this isn't it. Detective Jane Perry, like every other character in the book, is a walking cliche. This women is a hard drinking, chain smoking, foulmouthed genius who has no problem dashing a mile when the situation calls for it despite the fact that we never see her exercise or eat anything besides junk food. Jane's got issues because her last job went bad and a child died. Now there's a new case; a double homicide with a 9 year old girl who witnessed the murder of her parents. A series of ridiculous events sends Jane (who has no maternal skills at all) and Emily into hiding in a small town in Colorado. Jane is given no backup and no support. Her chief tells her not to call in unless there's an emergency and he won't be calling her. As for treatment for the traumatized child, that will just have to wait. This didn't strike me as remotely believable and the story got less so as it went on. (Jane allows Emily to have a sleepover which is something you don't do when you're in hiding). Apparently this the first book in a series. Whatever, I won't be reading the rest of them.

Review # 2 was written on 2011-09-22 00:00:00 Douglas Owens Protector is the first of the Jane Perry series, and it is not a cozy, armchair read, but a book that will alternately keep you on the edge of your seat and disgust you. At times you want to shout at the character's refusal to overcome the horrible abuse of her past, and at other times, you feel her pain and are moved to tears. Jane Perry walks a razor-edge of sanity, and sometimes she slips just for a moment and acts reprehensibly before recovering. She's a complete and utter mess and sees no redemption in sight. She's deeply flawed and has nothing in her life except an equally-flawed brother and her job as a cop, a job at which she excels. She has something else, but that's something she tries very hard to pretend doesn't exist. I won't tell you what that is, but it adds another dimension to the story. I'm a radical non-smoker thanks to a childhood lived with smoking parents so this book was tough going for me. The author is so good at setting and description that I could almost smell the stale cigarette smoke that inhabits Jane's world and smell the stale booze from the empty bottles and cans that litter her home like refuse in the gutter. This was not an easy book to read, but it was so compelling that I couldn't put it down once I'd started. Now that I've finished, I find myself thinking about Jane and hoping that she finds some peace in her turmoil of a life. In fact, I think I must buy the next books in the series to see if Jane finds redemption. If anyone deserves a bit of serenity, it's Jane Perry. Well-written with finely-drawn characters, realistic setting, tight plotting, and taut suspense. If you're looking for a different kind of suspense thriller, Protector is it.