Official Review: Collision Course by Joe Broadmeadow

[bluemel4]

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Collision Course" by Joe Broadmeadow.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Collision Course by Joe Broadmeadow is a strong debut novel that is a legal thriller; he is currently working on the second book in the series called Silenced Justice. The novel is a satisfying read that deals with current societal issues: problems with Veteran Affairs, destructive political ambition, funding issues within social services, and police brutality. The situations illuminated throughout this novel are complex and intricate, giving this story a current events vibe. Broadmeadow weaves an elaborate and realistic story about two men that are victims of an imperfect justice system and a corrupt United States Attorney who is seeking political clout.

The first man, Anthony ‘JoJo’ Machado, is a victim of institutions built to protect him; despite the victimization, he never adopts a victim mentality. JoJo is resilient and grows to be a war hero honorably discharged after being injured. The second man, Detective Sargent Joshua Williams, also a war hero, is currently working in the Special Investigation Unit for the East Providence Police Department in Road Island. Their lives collide during a deadly altercation that is a direct result of inaccurate and incomplete information. One man is left dead and the other is used by the United States Attorney for political capital and payback. The case accuses the second man of a felony and a civil rights violation. What follows is an intense court case.

The novel is a character study as much as it is a legal thriller. Split second decisions made in complicated circumstances have unforeseen consequences. The characters are complicated and flawed. Broadmeadow provides a lot of background on nearly all characters in the book. I felt a bit overwhelmed at times with the amount of information about each character, but found it helpful during action scenes. The rich character exploration gave a greater understand of each character’s motivation and valuable insight into police culture, and criminal and police dynamic.

There is very little negative I have to say about the novel. The pacing at the beginning of the novel is slow and very detailed, but it is worth going through the book to get to the action scenes and the trial. The addition of Sargent Williams’ relationship with his wife adds little to the plot. There are also a small amount of consistency and grammatical errors, but they are not distracting to the story.

Broadmeadow has a real talent for giving life to locations. For example, the local bar Bovi’s is a place that cops and firemen spend their off hours. The bar has chairs with plaques for regulars, a colorful town drunk that talks to imaginary people, and a bar tender that is tough and funny. There are many other locations that the main characters spend time in and all have little details that make them come alive and feel unique.

The author, Joe Broadmeadow, is a retired captain from East Providence, RI. He uses his twenty years of experience to give the dialog an authentic feel. Almost every police officer and criminal have nicknames and stories to go with them. The banter is very funny and gives each character that much more personality. He successfully integrates humor and levity which, gives depth to the novel by not overwhelming it with sadness and horror.

The military and police action scenes are easy to understand and not weighed down with too much jargon there is just enough given to lend authenticity to the situations but not so much that I felt alienated. Broadmeadow acknowledges that he sought experts for help with medical and law details. It is readily apparent that he did a lot of research.

I rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. The novel has good twists that I was not able to predict. Deals fairly with social issues, created realistic and dynamic characters and gives an inside view into the life of a police officer. I recommend this book to anyone looking for their next book club selection, those who enjoy very detailed novels, and readers of legal and detective thrillers. Warning to reader: the book contains molestation, graphic crime scenes, and curse words.

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Collision Course
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-- Sun May 03, 2015 6:33 am --

I wanted to tell everyone that I liked this book so much I am ordering a paperback version for my fathers birthday.

[bookowlie]

Great review! I like how you pointed how all the little things that made the book shine.

[bluemel4]

Thanks @bookowlie. I really feel like this was my best review yet.

[bookowlie]

I always enjoy reading your reviews.

[bluemel4]

You are too kind.

[Rachaelamb1]

Great review! I like how you pointed how all the little things that made the book shine.

I agree. This is a wonderful review. Though it's not my type of book.

[bluemel4]

Thank you Rachaelamb1!

[ALynnPowers]

Glad you enjoyed the book. It doesn't sound like something I would be into, though. But it's always nice to see those 4 stars on the site!

[bluemel4]

Thank you ALynnPower. I called my father right after I finished it and told him "OMG DAD! I totally get why you love mystery novels!" It was a great bonding moment.

[ALynnPowers]

Wow. Even better you could find something to bond over with your dad!!

[bluemel4]

I was excited that I could finally ask my dad for book suggestions. He and I have always been book people. I tended more towards sci-fi and fantasy, while he has always read mystery novels. In the past few years i have expanded to a large list of genres. A good book is a good book no matter what label it is given.

[iekelek23]

Nice review! You really got into the characters and the writing style without giving away the plot. Well written, making the book sound very interesting.

[bluemel4]

Thank you @iekelek23

It can be difficult to know how much to reveal. I really enjoyed this book. I hope others will give it a chance.

[bookowlie]

I agree that it's tricky regarding how much of the plot to reveal in the review. I've read book review on Amazon where the reviewer gives so much plot info that I feel like I've read the whole book!

[bluemel4]

I have had that same thing happen. I try to skip over the summation and look at the content of the review. I am more likely to read the reviews of people with similar interests to me. On GoodReads I have a few reviewers I follow. I also like the reviews on this site because they are more informative than the majority of GR reviews.