Certain Reprisal by Kevin Macklin- Review

This Jon Dough is far from average…

Kevin Macklin brings us a fantastic new hero to root for. One who has his ear to the streets while still maintaining a heart of gold- oh and a bit of a killer instinct.

The tale begins with Jon being approached by a woman who pleads with him for help in stopping an onslaught of disappearances of local prostitutes who have recently testified against a police officer who has sexually assaulted them. Let us not kid ourselves about those who the criminal justice deems worthy of protection as opposed to worthy of disdain and reproach. Men like Jon Dough are hardly written about which is what makes him a living urban legend in more ways than one.

The defense of those who are deemed “worth less” in many ways make up the fabric of the life from which Jon’s character in drawn. Police brutality toward prostitutes is not something that most people want to become mired in- especially if you are a black man with much to lose. CERTAIN REPRISAL is a remarkable ode to street justice of the oldest sort. It causes us to consider the plight of the marginalized helping one another despite the fear of reprisal. Sometimes we must consider how urban characters are born from necessity. This story makes us do that.

I found Jon’s character to be personally very endearing. If every drug dealer were cut from the same cloth I would probably be the first one lobbying to “legalize it”. Of course he is no Mary Sue or Gary Stu. This man has some seriously questionable ways in which he makes his money. But that is what makes this so very nuanced. I left wanting to know more about this drug kingpin. His motivations for pursuing such a profession were not super important to me. I would be interested in learning how he came to be at the top of the food chain so to speak.

While the ending was shocking to me, yet deeply satisfying, the one thing I wanted was more. This novel was so well crafted that I can earnestly admit that I did not see the ending coming. CERTAIN REPRISAL will be great for anyone who likes movies or stories with heart racing action as well as for those of us who like a bit of crime fiction that can tug at our heartstrings (there is even dash of romance). The conclusion shocked me and made me shed a tear. It is not often that a novels moves me in such a way so I must note it here for all time.

I am very excited to read more novels by Kevin in the future. Please check out his website and his other works available on Amazon. CERTAIN REPRISAL is currently available for a limited time for free via Kindle and also be purchased via Audible.

CERTAIN REPRISAL is book number one in a four part series so make sure you snatch them all up. The four book bundle is currently on sale for $11.97.

Thank you to the author for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I plan on presenting more of Kevin’s works in the future and have my fingers crossed that he will be the first guest on my future Podcast (whenever that will be).