| Product: |
Abuse of Power - Nancy Taylor Rosenberg |
| Date: |
16/12/05 (116 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: good storyline, superb characters, unexpected ending
Disadvantages: must be read within short space of time to get most enjoyment
Rachel Simmons is a single mother who, after having lost her husband to cancer, struggles from day to day just to pay off the lingering hospital bills and support her two children, Tracy and Joe. She works at night as a policewoman and sleeps most of the day - just to be at least physically present around her children during the day.
Rachel's decision to become a policewoman stems from an early childhood experience - she was kidnapped by a man and sexually assaulted. The police officer who saved her from the claws of this horrible creature and from a much worse fate became someone Rachel admired and looked up to. Idealising the profession, Rachel joined the force to help the community and to fight for justice.
It is certainly not easy for a woman to be on the force, especially not for one like Rachel with such high morals and integrity. Rachel soon realises that not every police officer on the force shares these values and that some of the individuals working closest to her are deeply involved in police corruption. When Rachel decides to report one of these incidents of corruption that she witnesses, breaking the so-called "Code of Silence", she soon finds herself in the unenviable position of having to fight to protect her life and the safety of her children.
Rachel's integrity and morals are tested time and time again when she is given several options to lie herself back to safety. But will she compromise her principles? You will have to find out for yourself.
"Abuse of Power" is the first one of Rosenberg's novels that I have read that does not involve a female district attorney as the main character. It makes a refreshing change, as Rachel Simmons is finally different from Rosenberg's other lead characters. Unlike Rosenberg's district attorneys, Rachel is not portrayed as a stunning beauty. And she is not portrayed as invincible either. Despite the stubbornness and the fighter nature, Rachel often comes across as vulnerable, lost and in dire need of support.
The only thing that Rachel Simmons does share with Rosenberg's previous main characters is the fact that there is a little dark secret in her past. I had mentioned in a previous review that Rosenberg does tend to integrate little facts of her own past into the storylines - and she appears to have done so again with Rachel's history. Perhaps writing about such aspects of her life is cathartic for the author, hence the recurring subject-matter.
Rosenberg's characters on "Abuse of Power" vary in intensity and to the extent to which they spring off the page and into life. It appears to me that the author decided to focus on a handful of characters and to make those perfect, whilst neglecting those characters that are less integral to the storyline. Her characterisation of the corrupt police officers is superb - she makes them appear so real that the reader would be seriously scared to encounter them in a back alley at night.
The fact that Rosenberg's peripheral characters appear a little bland does not lead to a downfall of the storyline. On the contrary, it makes the reader focus on the main story.
Interestingly enough, Rosenberg also did not integrate her usually intense romantic sub-plot into the novel. There are a few romantic sparks here and there, but there is not a real love story between two individuals to be followed. The decision to leave love out of the picture was a good judgment call in part of the author, as the main plot is busy enough with detail.
Little, if anything, is predictable in this novel. Whilst the reader does get the feeling from time to time that something awful is about to happen, the magnitude of the event is not easily envisioned. This is what makes the novel a page-turner - the reader keeps asking, "How much more could possibly happen?"
Personally, I did not have much time to read the novel when I started it. While the short chapters do permit for the read to be interrupted quite easily, I think I would have enjoyed the storyline much more if I had actually finished the book within 2 or 3 days instead of extending it over the space of a week.
If you were somewhat tempted to pick up one of Rosenberg's books based on my previous reviews, but were doubting that you could stomach the romance part - this is the book for you to start off with. It truly is a crime thriller without the cheese.
***Further information***
Orion Books
Page numbers: 418
ISBN 0-75281-558-X
Price: £5.99 (new paperback - but you may be able to find it cheaper as a used version on eBay or Amazon)
Summary: An unpredictable storyline and gripping characters make this novel a little treat.
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