Stephen Leather - Rough Justice

review by Brian Lowen on recorded show december 2011

An unusual layout for this book in that there are no chapters, the story just continues on with paragraphs as the only break.

A good book to read in these times of a namby-pamby state, health and safety gone over the top and human rights legislation getting in the way of proper justice.

A vigilante group of cops decide to do something about known criminals who are getting away with murder and other crimes because enough evidence cannot be put together to take a case through the courts and receive an appropriate sentence.

So they track down these criminals and start giving out their own form of rough justice – an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, only much more violent than that! Crime rates are falling across London but the powers that be want Dan ‘Spider’ Shepard to bring the wave of rough justice to an end.

Dan has never been comfortable investigating cops, but working for the Serious Organised Crime Agency means he has no choice. He has to go undercover with an elite group of officers who are at the sharp end of policing, risking their lives daily on the toughest streets in the capital.
But Shepard has some hard decisions to make when his own family become involved, which he solves in his own way, using good contacts and information from confidential sources.

A good fast paced read with good characters and realistic situations. Recommended.