The following review was published or updated in several Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia newspapers and magazines in November and December 2024:

Booking a full year of reading

Review by Tom Mayer

If only us readers could just spend our days … reading. What would a year look like? Here, the editors of Home for the Holidays present their yearlong list of books, culled from the past 12 months of reading and reviewing. A few of the titles you’ll immediately recognize, and you’ll likely have more than few in your own library. But just in case you missed a title or two, we’re showcasing the whole year’s worth of books that we’ve read and reviewed, month by month.

Except for the first title, the list is simply a list. To find the reviews of many of these titles, visit our newspaper parent, The (Athens) News Courier at enewscourier.com — with a slight caveat. Our newspaper webmasters are currently working overtime to improve our content management system, the foundation of any website, and while many of our archives are now found there, it may be a few weeks before everything is fully re-uploaded — including the most recent editions of Limestone Life and Home for the Holidays. For now, though, enjoy our literary stroll through 2024.

And about that first title: Not every college professor can make statistical analysis approachable, let along interesting to their students and the general population, but Athens State University emeritus professor of psychology Mark Durm is not every college professor. After spending nearly five decades teaching thousands of students, the “ol’ psychology professor” decided that he’d best get around to writing the one book out of his nearly 100 published pieces that’s he always wanted to write. Call it a legacy piece, but what it really is is a “best of” Durm’s peer-reviewed, book reviews, non-peer reviewed and magazine articles from his 47 years in higher education.

The result is “Professional Publications of an Ol’ Psychology Professor” (Dorrance) with full previously published articles ranging from studies on the effects of glasses on a child’s self-esteem to his ever-popular parapsychology pieces, Durm presents his internationally recognized efforts with a twist.

“It’s a different kind of book because it doesn’t talk about the research, it presents the research,” the professor says from his second-career office at Durm Properties in Athens, about a half-mile from where he first presented that research in person. “I’ve spent hours on all of these articles, especially in the peer-reviewed journal articles.”

And so, articles on divorce, sex, religion and other topics now populate the pages of Durm’s most recent book in an effort to both continue his teaching and satisfy what has been a lifelong wonderment.

“You know, most people don’t understand statistics, so it’s all in there,” Durm said. “What I’m trying to do is a more critical approach to ‘just don’t believe everything you’re told.’ … It’s things that were in my life that I wanted to see if they were so, by using a psychological analysis.”

And like any good professor, Durm didn’t do that research on his own — or take all of the credit. Among the co-authors of many of his articles in the book were students — many of who he’s lost touch with, but all of whom who he credits by name in his acknowledgements and for each of who, if they look up their ol’ mentor, he has a signed book ready to hand over. For the rest of us, you can find the book at any online bookseller — just as you can with the remainder of our list, presented by the month in which the book was published, read and reviewed.

JANUARY

Unbound (Blackstone) by Christy Healy NG/F

The Devil’s Daughter by Gordon Greisman NG/ARC

FEBRUARY

Almost Surely Dead (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Amina Akhtar NG

The Chaos Agent (Gray Man 13) (Berkley) by Mark Greaney NG

The Lady in Glass and Other Stories (Ace) by Anne Bishop ARC

A Haunting in the Arctic (Berkley paperback) by C.J. Cooke NG

Ghost Island (Berkley) by Max Seeck

MARCH

Hello, Alabama (Arcadia) by Martha Day Zschock

The Unquiet Bones (Montlake) by Loreth Anne White

I am Rome: A novel of Julius Caesar (Ballantine Books by Santiago PosteguilloMarch 5: Murder Road (Berkley) by Simone St. James

The Luminous Life of Lucy Landry (Holiday House) by Anna Rose Johnson

Ferris (Candlewick) by Kate DiCamillo

After Annie (Random House, Feb. 27) by Anna Quindlen

Crocodile Tears Didn't Cause the Flood (Montag Press) by Bradley Sides The #1 Lawyer (Little, Brown and Company) by James Patterson, Nancy Allen

Lilith (Blackstone) by Eric Rickstad

Life: My Story Through History (Harper One) by Pope Francis

APRIL

Matterhorn (Thomas & Mercer) by Christopher Reich

Friends in Napa (Mindy’s Book Studio) by Sheila Yasmin Marikar

City in Ruins (William Morrow) by Don Winslow

The House on Biscayne Bay (Berkley) by Chanel Cleeton

Two Friends, One Dog, and a Very Unusual Week (Peachtree) by Sarah L. Thomson

For Worse (Blackstone) by L.K. Bowen

A Killing on the Hill (Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoini

The Clock Struck Murder (Poisoned Pen Press) by Betty Webb

The Book That Broke the World (Ace) by Mark Lawrence

The Forgetters (Heyday Books) by Greg Sarris

Lost to Dune Road (Thomas & Mercer) by Kara Thomas

Warrior on the Mound (Holiday House/Peachtree) by Sandra Headed

Pictures of Time (Silver Street Media) by David AlexanderBare Knuckle (Blackstone Publishing) by Stayton Bonner

Murder on Demand (Blackstone Publishing) by Al Roker

Home is Where the Bodies Are (Blackstone) by Jeneva Rose

MAY

Matterhorn by Christopher Reich

The Hunter's Daughter (Berkley) by Nicola Solvinic

The House That Horror Built (Berkley) by Christina Henry

In our stars (Berkley) by Jack Campbell

Freeset (book 2) (Blackstone) by Sarina Dahlan

Southern Man (William Morrow) by Greg Iles

Camino Ghosts (Doubleday) by John Grisham

JUNE

Specter of Betrayal by Rick DeStefanis

Lake County (Thomas & Mercer) by Lori Roy

Serendipity (Dutton) by Becky Chalsen

Shelterwood (Ballantine) by Lisa Wingate

The (Mostly) True Story of Cleopatra’s Needle (Holiday House) by Dan Gutman

Jackpot (Penguin) by Elysa Friedland

The Helper (Blackstone) by M.M. Dewil

Winter Lost (Ace) by Patricia Briggs

Shadow Heart (Blackstone) by Meg Gardiner

Lake Country (Thomas & Mercer) by Lori Roy

The Out-of-Town Lawyer (Blackstone) by Robert Rotten

Love Letter to a Serial Killer (Berkley) by Tasha Coryell

Sentinel Berkley) by Mark Greaney

JULY

Three Kings: Race, Class, and the Barrier-Breaking Rivals Who Redefined Sports and Launched the Modern Olympic Age (Blackstone) by Todd Balf

The Night Ends with Fire (Berkley) by K.X. Song

Echo Road (Montlake) by Melinda Leigh

It’s Elementary (Berkley) by Elise Bryant

You Shouldn’t Be Here (Thomas & Mercer) by Lauren Thoman

Back In Black (Blackstone) edited by Don Bruns

The Recruiter (Blackstone) by Gregg Podolski

AUGUST

You Shouldn’t Be Here (Thomas & Mercer) by Lauren Thoman ARC

Not What She Seems (Thomas & Mercer) by Yasmin Angoe NG

Fatal Intrusion by Jeff Deaver/Isabella Maldonado

Death at Morning House (HARPERTeen) by Maureen Johnson

Fire and Bones (Scribner) by Kathy Reichs

Some Nightmares Are Real (University of Alabama Press) by Kelly Kazoo

The Brothers Kenny (Blackstone) by Adam Mitzner

Blind to Midnight (Blackstone) by Reed Farrel Coleman

The Wayside (Blackstone) by Carolina Wolff

Enemy of the State (Blackstone) by Robert Smartwood

You Will Never Be Me (Berkley) by Jesse Q. Sutanto

On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice (W.W. Norton) by Adam Kirsch

We Love the Nightlife (Berkley) by Rachel Koller Croft

Talking To Strangers (Berkley) by Fiona Barton

An Honorable Assassin (Blackstone) by Steve Hamilton possible interview see email

Dungeon Crawler Carl (1 of 6 but see next two months) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

SEPTEMBER

Fatal Intrusion (Thomas & Mercer) by Jeffrey Deaver and Isabella Maldonado

When They Last Saw Her (Penguin) by Marcie Rendon

American Ghoul (Blackstone) by Michelle McGill-Vargas

First Do No Harm (Blackstone) by Steve Hamilton

A Quiet Life: A Novel (Arcade) by William Cooper and Michael McKinley

One More From the Top (Mariner) by Emily Layden

No Address (Forefront Books) by Ken Abraham.

Tiger’s Tale (Blackstone) by Colleen Houck

An Academy for Liars (Ace) by Alexis Henderson

Rewitched (Berkley) by Lucy Jane Wood

Gaslight (Blackstone) by Sara Shepard and Miles Joris-Peyrafitte

Counting Miracles (Random House) by Nicholas Sparks

The Village Library Demon-Hunting Society (Ace) by C.M. Waggoner

The Hitchcock Hotel (Berkley) by Stephanie Wrobel

In the Garden of Monsters by Crystal King

Carl’s Doomsday Scenario (2 of 6 see next month also) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

OCTOBER

The Hushed (Blackstone) by K.R. Blair NG

A Grim Reaper’s Guide to Catching a Killer (Berkley) by Maxie Dara

On Settler Colonialism: Ideology, Violence, and Justice (Norton) by WSJ Weekend review editor Adam Kirsch

Framed (Doubleday) by John Grisham and Jim McCloskey

This Cursed House (Penguin) by Del Sandeen

The Puzzle Box (Random House) by Danielle Trussoni

Two Good Men (Blackstone) by S.E. Redfearn

Dark Space (Blackstone) by Rob Hart and Alex Segura

This Cursed House (Berkley’s open submission)by Del Sandeen

Vindicating Trump (Regnery) by Dinesh D’Souza

The Book of Witching (Berkley) by C.J. Cooke

The World Walk (Skyhorse) by Tom Turcich

The Waiting Game by Michael Connelly  ARC, possible interview see email

Beyond Reasonable Doubt (Thomas & Mercer) by Robert Dugoni

Dungeon Anarchist’s Cookbook (3 of 6, with bonus material) (Ace) by Matt Dinniman

Frozen Lives (Blackstone) by Jennifer Graeser Fronbush NG

Vincent, Starry Starry Night (Meteor 17 Books) intro by Don McLean

Paris in Winter: An Illustrated Memoir (PowerHouse Books) by David Coggins

NOVEMBER

The Waiting (Little, Brown) by Michael Connelly

The Teller of Small Fortunes (Penguin) by Julie Long

Shadow Lab (Blackstone) by Brendan Deneen

Trial by Ambush (Thomas & Mercer) by Marcia Clark

Devil Take It (Heresy Press) by Daniel Debs Nossiter

SerVant of Earth (Ace) by Sarah Hawley

All the other me (Blackstone) by Jody Holford

The Perfect Marriage (Blackstone reissue re-edit) by Jenny Rose

DECEMBER

Trial By Ambush (Thomas & Mercer) by Marcia Clark

The Close-Up (Gallery Books) by Pip Drysdale

The Silent Watcher (Thomas & Mercer) by Victor Methos

Leviathan (Lividian Trade HC) by Robert McCammon

The Silent Watcher (Thomas & Mercer) by Victor Method

Assume Nothing (Thomas & Mercer) by Joshua Corin

One example link:
https://enewscourier.com/2024/11/29/in-review-booking-a-full-year-of-reading/

Suzanne Redfearn's (favorite author) new breakout thriller under S.E. Redfearn (pen name), TWO GOOD MEN, is one of her best! Featuring two men on a quest for justice—from opposite sides of the law—in her latest twisty, edgy, and riveting cat-and-mouse psychological thriller!

About...

Otis Parson, a violent felon, has just been released from prison. Dick Raynes is worried because his sister, Dee, is the one who helped put him there. He must keep Dee and her son safe and will do whatever he can.

Man One: Dick Raynes uses his knowledge as a scientist to develop a formula and can predict those offenders most likely to strike again. He is trying to protect future victims, wherein the law has failed.

Man Two: FBI agent Steve Patterson investigates crimes against those who have paid their dues for past mistakes, running a department he created after his son was killed by a vigilante mother who targeted the wrong person.

Steve is seeing a pattern of untimely deaths of recently released felons and is investigating to see who is behind it. In the meantime, he is now dating the sister of the man he is chasing.

With a dangerous game of cat and mouse, Dick is straddling right/wrong, good vs. evil, and to some, he is seen as a hero vigilante, stopping felons and pedophiles from striking again and saving lives, mainly children.

However, Steve must stop the vigilante serial killer before it gets out of control and he strikes again.

Both are connected by a woman they both love and want to protect. This woman is Dee, Dick's sister, and Steve's girlfriend. How will this complex relationship affect their pursuit of justice?

My thoughts...

TWO GOOD MEN is a gripping, thought-provoking psychological thriller that delves into the complexities of right and wrong. Both men, driven by their sense of justice, are on opposite sides of the law. While seemingly righteous, their actions blur the lines between right and wrong.

This narrative will undoubtedly leave you pondering the age-old question: who is truly in the right? It's a compelling read that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

The novel will make you consider what you would do in the same position. It is full of suspense, action, and intensity! The author brilliantly explores good vs. evil and justice vs. vengeance.

With a heartrending and emotional narrative, TWO GOOD MEN introduces readers to a cast of well-developed characters. The story, told from two main POVs, draws readers into the intense cat-and-mouse game between two men determined to protect the innocent.

As they navigate the murky waters of justice and morality, readers will be captivated by the relentless pursuit of their mission.

I loved Suzanne's Author's Note, in which she shared the personal experiences and real-life events that inspired this gripping tale of justice and revenge. Fans of Breaking Bad will find the moral dilemmas and intense action in TWO GOOD MEN just as compelling!

I am a huge fan of the author, having read all of her books—her ability to craft complex characters and twisty plots never fails to impress. I cannot wait to see what other thrilling stories she has in store for us!

Recs...

TWO GOOD MEN is for fans of the author and those who enjoy thought-provoking, smart, and gritty dramas. Readers who enjoy Hank Phillipi Ryan, Wendy Walker, Mary Kubica, Christina McDonald, and Michele Campbell will delight.

Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy and provide an honest opinion.

blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Oct 8, 2024
Oct 2024 Must-Read Books
Oct Newsletter

Dick Raynes is a mild-mannered chemist who is, frankly, kind of a loser. His ex-wife still runs roughshod over his life and his two children don’t respect him. But he’s still loved and needed by Dee, the younger sister who he practically raised, and her son Jesse, especially after the child rapist Dee helped put in jail over a decade ago is released from prison early.

Otis Parsons has been nursing a grudge against Dee ever since she testified against him, and hasn’t been subtle in letting her know that he’s been keeping an eye on her kid. A frantic Dee begs Dick to come back to Independence, the California town where they grew up and where she still lives in their childhood home. Not wanting his loved ones to be driven from their home but not knowing how else to put an end to Otis’ cruelty, Dick makes an unthinkable choice.

A short while later in Washington DC, Special Agent Steve Patterson is alerted to Otis’ death. He has enough experience to believe that the case is hardly as open and shut as the Independence police would prefer to believe. Their sheriff even claims:

QUOTE
“[W]hat that man died of is, pure and simple, God’s will. And considering what he’s done with his life, I can’t say I’m sorry. Must be more important things for the FBI to be doing than poking around the death of a man not worthy of a prayer over his grave.”

Steve nods. He gets it. Judging by Parson’s record, his death doesn’t deserve to be mourned. But that doesn’t change the fact that a crime might have been committed. The law only works if it’s enforced for everyone. It’s the reason Steve created this division within the bureau, and when nobody wanted to head it up, it’s the reason he stepped down from his position as assistant director to do it himself.
END QUOTE

Steve has a deeply personal, understandable reason for this rigidity, even if his crusade to level the playing field for released sex offenders would likely serve more practical purposes directed at legislation rather than enforcement. But when he flies out to Independence to investigate Otis’ death, he runs into the bewitching Dee, who has her own suspicions about what happened to Otis. Given the ex-con’s threats against her kid however, she refuses to consider his death anything less than a miracle. As Steve and Dee grow closer, they’ll have to contend with the fact that they both suspect that Dick was somehow involved in Otis’ demise.

Dick, meanwhile, has had his eyes opened to the predatory nature of sex offenders, and especially those who prey on minors. Using his scientific know-how, he creates an algorithm to help predict recidivism. Finally feeling like he has a purpose again, he begins to investigate the men flagged by his algorithm, applying his scientific mind to learning new skills and, perhaps oddly, growing in confidence in the process:

QUOTE
[He] pulls on a pair of latex gloves, and using bolt cutters he also bought last night, removes the lock from the door. He practiced in his hotel room and is glad he did. It turns out being a criminal is not so different from planning out an experiment. Consider everything before you start. Run it and rerun it in your head with every conceivable hitch. And have a contingency plan for everything. A good plan is 99 perfect preparation and 1 percent execution. The first lock he tried to cut took over five minutes. This morning, he clips the shackle in under one.
END QUOTE

Even as Steve falls more deeply in love with Dee, Dick’s escalating vigilanteism is setting the two men on a collision course that can only end badly… unless one of them can persuade the other to rethink his entire attitude to justice. But who will “win” their cat and mouse game, and how many will get hurt in the process?

As a person of a generally thoughtful nature, I was rather disconcerted by the hard lines each of our two main protagonists took in their pursuit of redress. Dick holds a strongly immoral belief in assassination to prevent future crimes, while Steve’s faith in the law as inviolable was baffling to me as someone who understands that, in the American justice system, criminal laws are made and constantly amended by people, who often apply said laws imperfectly. While I understand that this imperfection is what brings both Dick and Steve to their impasse, the book’s decision to frame their conflict as a thorny moral issue didn’t quite work for me, as I felt like both men were less “good” as the title claims than short-sighted in their overall philosophies.

What is good is that books like this can start conversations about uncomfortable subjects between people who’ve had little reason to think about them previously. Given how both Dick and Steve are admittedly flawed men trying to enact justice where the system fails, they serve as easy mirrors for people on both sides of the equation: those who want to minimize harm to the innocent no matter the cost and those who believe that reintegration to society is laudable no matter the threat. Two Good Men is a thought-provoking call to examine our own biases, even if I myself do not believe that the solution is the strict binary suggested in these pages.

Superbly Written Thriller Will Make You Reconsider Your Ideas Of 'Justice'. On the one hand, a man has identified a way to identify serial sexual predators - and is committed to stopping them before they can strike again. On the other, a law man absolutely committed to the Rule of Law and that *everyone* has the right to a second chance once their sentence is complete. Which one is "good". Which one is "just"? How can we as readers of this text reconcile the two competing ideals? Should we? How can we as a society reconcile these ideals? Should we?

Redfearn - yes, the same Suzanne Redfearn of In An Instant, Moment In Time, Hadley & Grace, and Where Butterflies Wander - here presents her most thoughtful book to date, damn near an Atlas Shrugged level deep, *deep* philosophical dive - without Rand's overt political diatribes. Indeed, the text here in some ways is also remeniscent of NPC by Jeremy Robinson, which also features such deep examinations from two different sides by two people of equal mental acuity - though in the Robinson text, the questions at hand are more existential in nature rather than centered on justice for all, particularly those deemed the lowest of the low by society at large.

This is one of those books that could have gotten quite preachy rather quickly in any number of ways in a less deft hand - as Rand was known to do, despite her own great storytelling abilities - and yet never actually does. It questions and it shows pros and cons of both sides, with quite a bit of real (enough) logically paced and logically executed action. While it can be read as a straight up thriller, and many might, it is one of those texts that really deserves and demands to be more deeply considered and examined. Perhaps particularly in the weeks leading into an Election Day, though that has nothing at all to do with the book and is nowhere present in the text.

This was the 157th book I read in 2024. I'm reasonably confident (at the moment at least, we'll see what happens in my final rankings in December) in saying that if you read just a single book this year... make it this one.

Very much recommended.

**Features:**
- Explores both the pitfalls and necessity of a legal system that protects felons after they have served their sentence.
- Explores the ethics of vigilante justice
- Story told through two different characters with opposing viewpoints but the same ultimate goal
- Morally gray characters and situations

**Summary**

With pedophile Otis Parsons now free from prison, Dick and his sister Dee know it’s only a matter of time before he strikes again. Between a seemingly threatening note Otis sent to Dee from prison and the fact that it was Dee’s testimony that landed him behind bars, Dick and Dee fear that Dee’s son Jesse might be Otis’s next target. With his life in shambles, Dick finds himself with nothing to lose and a family to protect. Meanwhile, FBI agent Steve Patterson finds himself on the trail of a potential serial killer who seems to be targeting recently released felons. Sparks fly when his investigation leads him to Dee’s door and everything he so firmly believed will once again be called into question.

**Thoughts**

This book was an emotional rollercoaster in the best of ways and definitely sticks with you. We enter the story at an extremely low point in Dick’s life. Though Redfearn does a wonderful job establishing this as an endpoint of a steady, long-term decline, Dick’s current state makes him really hard to connect to as a person. However, I think that is part of the point and I was still able to empathize with his perspective. On the other hand, Dee and Jesse were incredibly likable characters and Dick’s relationship with them is what truly got me invested in him as well. Steve stood out to me slightly less, but the addition of his perspective is what really helped make this book stand out.

It is not unusual to be able to see the perspectives of both the ‘cop’ and ‘criminal’ characters in a Mystery/Thriller. However, Steve and Dick feel a lot more intimately connected. Their philosophical differences create space for an interesting, and sometimes uncomfortable, exploration of how justice is achieved and upheld. Be warned that some topics in this book might be triggering and there are no easy answers or happy endings to be found here. However, if you enjoy a suspenseful read that gives you something to think about, this book is definitely for you!

This author has done it again. I've read several of her books before and they were so good. Way different than this one but every bit as good. This is an edge of your seat story of what horrible things can be done. What some people do to children. What one man did to try and help. What another did in the name of justice. Or maybe didn't do....

The main character is Dick. Richard Raynes. His sister and nephew are two of the most important people in his life. Along with his two children. When a man named Otis is released from prison after serving for the rape of two young boys Dick's sister Dee is worried. Otis has promised to seek revenge for her testimony that helped send him away. When Otis turns up dead questions are asked. Not by local police but by an FBI agent by the name of Steve Patterson. He believes that he is doing the right thing by investigating Otis's suspicious death. He never expected Dee. And Dee's son Jesse. He didn't expect the feelings he was going to feel.

Dick is a Dr. A doctor of science or chemist. He has worked hard but ultimately made a few mistakes that may hinder his job. He is working on a cure for allergies. He also believes that children should be taken care of. Not used by pedofiles. Dick is a very smart man. Recently divorced, two and a half years. He loves his children and he wants a safe world for them and his nephew. What will he do to ensure that they are safe. What will he do to make life easier for any child he may know is in danger. And what will he do about Steve. Dee is falling for Steve and Dick wants her to be happy. But will she be happy with Steve?

This book is about a horrible thing. About the things that make some human's the worse scum ever. How can anyone want to hurt children. To take away their innocence. To ruin their futures. If you could stop these men would you? I would. No one should he allowed to run free if they desire a child. If they are capable of inflicting pain on an innocent child. If they desire a child they need to be taken care of. That is my opinion and nothing or no one will ever change my mind.

It's a dark read. It's a hard one. But it's written in a way that keeps you turning the pages until the very ending. This author makes you feel like you are there...

Thank you #NetGalley, #BlackstonePublishing, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five stars.

An engrossing novel that will take you through the often blurred and graying lines of what is right and wrong. Two Good Men features just that – two men – both with their own opinions and thoughts on how to approach a very difficult situation.

Steve is an FBI agent that heads up a very special division that investigates crimes against convicted child predators. He believes that everyone should have the opportunity for a new life after they’ve served their time because he believes in the possibility of goodness within people. Throughout the book, Steve continues to deal with local law enforcement agents that despise the fact his position even exists because most of the time he shows up to investigate the death of a convicted criminal, and sometimes even after another atrocious attack has happened.

Then we have Dr. Richard Raynes who is a scientist that has spent his live working on the development of medications to help cure people. His latest work has been to create a medicine that “cures” people of their allergies. But along the way, his sister and nephew are put in danger’s way when the man that terrorized their small town when they were children is set free after serving his time. This man, Otis, has already warned Raynes’s sister, Denise, that he is looking forward to meeting her 11-year old son and this puts Dr. Raynes in motion to find a way to remove him from their lives.

Dr. Raynes finds himself on a trajectory of vigilante hero as he meticulously tracks down those likely to return to their bad behaviors and eliminate them from existence all together. As Steve, the FBI agent, starts a relationship with Dr. Raynes’s sister, he also starts to put the pieces together with what her brother is doing.

This is where everything gets interesting. Steve understand why Richard Raynes is doing what he does, but his conscious also knows that it’s just as criminal as anyone else. But both men’s moral compasses are called into question as they both realize they want the same outcome. To keep people safe from those that only want to harm others.

While there are a lot of dark elements to this story, especially in the earlier parts of the book that set the stage for the darkness inside these criminals, that eventually subsides into a faded background with less detail about crimes against children and focuses on the challenging path that Dr. Raynes has set himself on. He is methodically eliminating criminals, but only after he observes them and convinces himself that they are likely to hurt a child or he catches them in the act.

The main theme though throughout this entire book is really focused on morality. All of the characters in the story believe strongly in what they are doing and pursue those actions accordingly. The only wavering one is Steve, the FBI agent, and that’s because he has always been a little sour about his role in the whole web of deceit and lies that he’s embroiled in with his job.

A fantastic story that had me cringing, crying a little at the beginning, and overall had me thinking deeply about where my own moral compass lies. While I don’t condone everything Dr. Raynes does in this story, I fully understand where that motivation and determination comes from.

Happy Pub Day to Two Good Men by S.E. Redfearn.

Wowwwwww! S.E. Redfearn did it again!! She absolutely knocked it out the park with her newest and dare I say my favorite book to date of hers?!? It is!! I LOVE this book and have not stop telling my friends to pick this one up! Hands down one of the best thrillers I’ve read in 2024!

If you love the following - immediately pick up this book:
📕- thought provoking drama 💭 🎭
📕 - fast paced, can’t put it down kind of energy
📕-suspenseful
📕-pulse pounding thriller
📕- intense / captivating read
📕- crime drama

This offers all of that and so much more!!
A HUGE thank you to the author for kindly sending me an advance physical copy, another thank you to Libro.fm for the ALC, and to Blackstone Publishing for the e-arc through NetGalley all in exchange for my honest review! I enjoyed this book greatly! I listened while I read along during the day with the physical book and at night with my kindle. Wow! I couldn’t stop reading this one!! The narrator of the audiobook just brought this story to life! I felt like I was right there in the midst of these twists and turns.

If you find yourself looking for a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat … this one is for you! Definitely check other reviews for trigger warnings because it’s a heavy lift but SO GOOD!! Also, it would be an AWESOME bookclub pick!!! There’s lots to chat about!! 🖤

10 out of 10 HIGHLY RECOMMEND this one!! This book will have you wondering where your own moral compass lies?! Once you read it … let’s chat! 😉

5 Mesmerizing Stars! ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

S. E. Redfearn’s “Two Good Men” is a gripping and emotionally charged thriller that delves into the complexities of justice, redemption, and the moral ambiguities that lie between right and wrong. 

The story centers around Dr. Richard Raynes, a man haunted by the release of a criminal his sister Denise testified against. When Denise calls Richard in a panic, fearing for her safety, Richard’s life is thrown into turmoil. Parallel to Richard’s journey is FBI agent Steve Patterson, who investigates crimes against those who have paid their dues for past mistakes. 

Redfearn’s narrative is suspenseful and thought-provoking, weaving together the lives of these two men as they navigate their personal and professional challenges. The author excels at creating multi-dimensional characters whose motivations and actions are deeply rooted in their past traumas and moral convictions. Richard’s struggle to protect his sister and Patterson’s relentless pursuit of justice create a dynamic and compelling storyline that keeps readers captuvated.

One of the standout features of “Two Good Men” is its exploration of the themes of justice and redemption. Redfearn delves into the psychological and emotional toll of seeking justice, highlighting the fine line between right and wrong. 

The pacing of the novel is impeccable, with each chapter building tension and revealing new layers of the characters’ lives and the overarching mystery. Redfearn’s writing is both evocative and precise, capturing the emotional intensity of the characters’ experiences and the atmospheric tension of the settings.

“Two Good Men” is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and suspenseful dramas. S. E. Redfearn has crafted a powerful and engaging narrative that explores the depths of human emotion and the complexities of justice. Whether you’re a longtime fan of Redfearn’s work or new to her writing, this novel provides a memorable reading experience.

Gripping, thought provoking, intense, and hard to put down, Two Good Men is another great book by S.E. Redfearn. This book has many characters but centers on two men, who have their own choices, motivations, actions, and judgement calls. One takes matters into his own hands while the other is doing his job following the law. Both men have their own personal reasons for what they do. One man is protecting loved ones, the other lost a child due to vigilante targeting the wrong person. Both men believe in doing the right thing....

Dick's marriage is over and his job as a scientist has hit some bumps in the road. When his sister, Dee informs him that Otis, a pedophile that she helped put away has been released, and living near her and her son, he vows to protect them. Dick has been working on a formula which predicts recidivism in violent sex offenders, and he knows how high the risk is and what is at stake.

Steve Patterson is an FBI agent whose job is to investigate crimes against sex offenders. When he notices a pattern of their deaths, he begins to investigate. Little does he know that his investigation will take him....

I loved how both Dick and Steve are in fact, good men. Their personal reasons for what they do is strong and compelling. Both are doing what he feels is right. I loved how thought provoking this book became. What are you willing to do to protect those you love? How thin is the line between right and wrong? Is vigilantism the way?

The plot of this book may not be an easy read for some as it deals with pedophiles, justice, revenge, trauma, etc. But nothing is depicted in detail. I love the moral and ethical questions that this book brings up. I think this would be an excellent book club books as there is a lot to discuss. Both men are wonderfully drawn and fleshed out. Both men are likeable, intelligent, dedicated, and it is easy to understand their motivations and actions.

I enjoyed the writing, the pacing, the characters, and the questions that arose while reading. This book had a nice blend of tension, mystery, suspense, drama, tension, and the relationships between the characters.

I enjoyed the author's note and encourage everyone read it. I enjoyed the author's first name for the book and chuckled a little while reading that part.

Oh Mylanta! This story is one that grips you from the very beginning! When I read the premise I felt it was written for me!

The book centers around two men who are fighting for the very things they hold dear. Their family. Otis Parsons is released early on parole from prison after serving time for the rape and molestation of a boy. Otis moves right back into the home where everything occurred.

Dee and her son Jesse live on the same street and realize with Otis out, Jesse is in great danger. Dick is Dee’s brother and will do anything to protect the both of them.

Enter Steve, the FBI agent who inspects crime against sex offenders. Dick and Steve become quite the cat and mouse game. The hunt is on!!!!

As a survivor myself I could root for justice and not feel a bit of guilt for it!!! You will question your morality. Let me ask you this….. if someone raped your child would you be willing to kill them?????

I loved this so much and hope it becomes a series!
4.5 ⭐️

Trigger warnings galore!!! The review should say it all.

Two Good Men by S.E. Redfearn is a suspenseful thriller featuring two men seeking justice from opposite sides of the law. Doctor Richard Raynes gets a call from his sister Denise. A man she testified against has been released from prison. He’s threatened her son, Jesse, and lives in their neighborhood. Raynes will do whatever it takes to protect them. However, he quickly learns that Otis Parsons is just the beginning. Many child abusers will repeat their offenses within five years. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Steve Patterson investigates crimes against these same offenders.

The characters are well-defined and have depth. Both men have a strong sense of right and wrong that will be tested as the story unfolds. Raynes is a chemist who has panic attacks and is good at methodical research and analytical thinking. His life is a mess. Patterson comes across as low-key and unassuming. However, there is an inner strength that shows during conflicts. He’s also a great investigator. Both men have strengths and vulnerabilities and are determined that justice prevail.

Quickly hooking me, the storyline gripped me and kept me engaged throughout the novel. The deeply involved plot is absorbing, thought-provoking, and heartrending. The characters felt real and emotionally rich making it easy to connect with both main characters. Readers get excellent insight into their thoughts and behaviors. Both want to make the world a safer place, but with different paths. This story makes you commiserate with the characters as their actions unfold and their struggles are revealed.

This novel shines a light on the law enforcement and shows times when the justice system fails to protect innocents. It also highlights the pitfalls of rogue justice. The gripping narrative gave excellent insight into the challenges the police and secondary characters faced. It’s heartbreaking at times, and riveting throughout. Additionally, it’s full of suspenseful moments that caused me to rapidly advance through the book. It incorporates a real-world issue and looks at it from two different perspectives. The relationship aspects of the story balance the shocking and disturbing aspects. I wasn’t expecting the tension-filled ending scenario.

Overall, this was an intense and engaging thriller that looks at justice from two different perspectives. Exceptional characters, intense and emotional events, and multiple conflicts kept me rapidly turning the pages. The story exceeded my expectations. If you enjoy crime thrillers, then I recommend that you check out this one. I am looking forward to finding out this author writes next.

Blackstone Publishing and S, E. Redfearn provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. The publication date is currently set for October 08, 2024. This review was originally posted at Mystery and Suspense Magazine.

Oops! Review to come! I accidentally submitted a review for a different book here!

Thank you to @netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of Two Good Men.

I love Suzanne Redfearn's books so I couldn't wait to read this book. Her style of writing is so easy for me to read and it flows nicely. In Two Good Men, we have two men each on different sides of the law. Steve is an FBI agent hired to protect the lives of convicted sex offenders after they are released from prison and have served their time. Dick is a research scientist who kills Otis, a violent pedophile bound to attack his nephew. After he kills Otis, he does research on repeat sex offenders and turns into a vigilante out to save as many young people. Throw in a love storyline and the book gets even more interesting. I loved this book! So well written and easy to understand. Thanks to @NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I highly recommend it.

Known for her poignant stories (No Ordinary Life, In an Instant, Where Butterflies Wander ..), author Suzanne Redfearn is branching out into intense thriller territory in her latest book and does so with great success.

Two Good Men is a dark, fast-paced read about two men who are on a quest for justice, each coming from different sides of the law - one an FBI agent and the other a vigilante.

FBI agent Steve Patterson's job is to investigate crimes committed against sex offenders after they've done their time, a niche job developed for him that isn't well received by the public or child victims' families.

Dick Raynes is a chemist at a pharmaceutical company whose life is mess. When his sister Dee calls him frantic that their neighbour Otis, a convicted pedophile, who has taunted Dee and her 11-year-old son in the past, has been released, her brother comes to their aid. Dick uses his skills as a chemist to determine the risk of recidivism in recently released sex offenders and then acts on his findings. Steve and Dick's lives suddenly intertwine and are connected by their commitment to protect those who are vulnerable.

This is a thought-provoking story that tackles different viewpoints of criminal justice and while the story deals with child sexual abuse, Redfearn handles the seriousness of the crimes without being gratuitous. Told with short chapters, this cat-and-mouse story has many layers and is filled with moral implications and will provide readers with fodder for book discussion.

Redfearn pulled this book from the vault as it was the second book she had ever written, and I hope she continues to write within a variety of genres.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to the author for the complimentary copy of this book which was given in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 what would you do stars

I loved this author's “In an Instant.” This one is also thought-provoking. I admit that I’ve been thinking about it long after I read it; that’s always a good sign of a good book for me.

Dick Raynes is the lead character in this one. He’s a scientist and sees many things in black and white. He doesn’t always know what to say but is fiercely loyal. There are dark things from his past. A neighbor, Otis Parsons, is behind bars because of testimony from his sister Dee. Now Otis has been released and is threatening Dee’s son, Jesse. Dick takes things into his own hands to keep Dee and Jeese safe. Things that some would call vigilante justice.

Dick takes a deep dive into criminals and recidivism and even develops an algorithm where he can plug in key variables to see how high the rate might be. What does he do with this knowledge? Can he protect innocent others?

I believe that the author was referring to Dick as one of the good men, and the other good man is an FBI agent Steve Patterson. He has a unique job in investigating crimes against sex offenders, and there’s something suspicious going on, starting with Otis. He takes a look at the case and meets Dee. There’s an instant attraction between the two, and soon, a relationship blossoms.

As Steve is chasing an elusive ghost, Dick is watching the most likely to offend criminals. Will the two worlds collide? What is true justice? Who will get hurt? If Steve catches Dick, will he lose Dee?

I thought the ending of this one was spot-on and I am hoping for a sequel!

Her debut crime fiction novel, Two Good Men (2024) by S. E. Redfearn is a revenge thriller and what lengths a man will go to protect his family. Dick Raynes is a scientist researching genomes to cure diseases. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Steve Patterson investigates possible crimes against perpetrators who are released after their sentences are completed. Both men, with their own good intentions, are on a quest for justice. This fiction novel has underlying despicable crimes motivating the two protagonists and may be upsetting for some readers (trigger warning). The title captures the essence of the story and contrasts the two men and what they will do to ensure justice is served. Overall, a well-paced, enjoyable narrative, if somewhat lacking tension, making for a three star read rating. With thanks to Blackstone Publishing and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own, freely given and without any inducement.

My heart was thumping, my pulse was pounding as I read this thought-provoking book! Forget everything you’ve read about heroes, about good guys and bad guys—this book muddies all those ideas up, giving us grey areas I had never considered. Dick and Steve each walked a fine line between good and evil, right and wrong, in this chilling novel. Each of the men are on a quest for justice, but which one will prevail? Two Good Men is a novel that will shock you, a novel that will make you reconsider your own feelings about right and wrong, good and evil, Trigger warning: this book deals with sexual predators and the crimes perpetrated on their victims.

Completely different from the heartbreaking “In an Instant” and the comedic “”Hadley and Grace”, the latest from S. E. Redfearn, (Suzanne Redfearn) is darker than previous work, and one of the better thrillers that I have read this year!

Otis Parsons, a violent pedophile, has been released from prison, and Dick’s sister Dee is the one who helped put him behind bars. He has written Dee a letter, telling her how much he is looking forward to meeting her 11 year old son, Jesse, and now he has moved back into his family home-just two doors down.

Her brother, Dick Raynes, is a scientist who has developed a formula which is able to predict which pedophiles have the traits in common which make them most likely strike again, and the numbers are staggering.

It could be as high as 86%.

He isn’t about to let Jesse become another statistic so he does what the law is unable to do, and protects his family.

FBI agent Steve Patterson investigates crimes against sex offenders, running a department that he personally created after his own son was killed by a vigilante mother who targeted the wrong person.

Because of this, he believes that our laws are founded on the principle of “presumed innocence” allowing forgiveness for past mistakes even though these same laws also leave us vulnerable. Civilians and Cops cannot be permitted to take justice into their own hands, because if there are no checks and balances, we would become a mutinous, violent society ruled by prejudice, assumption and fear.

When he follows up on the reported death of Otis Parsons, he meets Dee-and it’s practically “love at first sight”. So, his sense of right and wrong will be challenged when his suspicions lead him straight to her brother.

It’s a conundrum-and there is no good answer, especially when he learns that for some reason, Dick didn’t just stop with Otis.

TWO GOOD MEN-with differing beliefs and one woman in common.

This is a unique, thought provoking story that I really enjoyed from beginning to end, and it’s one which may have you pondering how you would feel if you were Steve, and alternately, if you were Dick.

It was interesting to learn from the authors note at the end of the book, that this was actually the second novel she wrote, but never published and it’s original name-“Average Dick” which she now admits was a terrible name. ☺️

I am definitely recommending this one, and you can pick up a copy on October 8, 2024!

Thank You to Blackstone Publishing for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts!

Another great one by Redfearn. It took me a little bit to figure out what was going on at the start of this. It was like we were dropped into a story that already started. Then I figured it out and was hooked on the story. I felt some parts were confusing, like the perpetrator’s stories. I liked both Dick and Steve. I liked the idea of a scientist using his skills to kill people.