Forgive Us Our Trespasses

Monte Dutton's fourth novel is a tale of the corrosive effect of patronage and a prominent man's rise and fall. Denny Frawley is a corrupt prosecutor with political ambition. Hal Kinley, who has known Frawley since the two played high school football together, is a good cop who has watched his old friend grow into an unscrupulous monster. Among the obstacles in Frawley's path to the governorship are an alcoholic spouse, a scheming mistress, and his drug-dealing twins. Frawley's two teen-aged kids are as awash in corruption as their father. Kinley's son has been drawn into their orbit. Kinley is determined to save his son and stop his old teammate. The odds do not favor him. Be forewarned: this is hard-hitting, dark and often depressing. But that's the quality I like most about it, and a quality that the author was trying to achieve. Dutton never checks his PC meter at the door. He grips it and rips it in a careless but controlled manner, allowing his maniacal characters to act out their most violent fantasies in the most roguish manner. Even the good guys are messed-up and damaged by the end of this perilous ride. No, they're messed up before it, as well. If you like your crime novels gritty, depressing, drugged-out and with a good dose of sodomy and violence, you'll surely enjoy Forgive Us Our Trespasses. But to be sure, I don't think even God could see it to forgive these lowlife bastards. Highly recommended! -- Joseph Souza, author of Need to Find You