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I received this book for free from a book tour. This review is voluntary. My opinion is not influenced in any way.

Series: Brooks/Lotello Thriller #1
Published by Gander House Publishers on November 1, 2017
Genres: Legal Thriller, Suspense
Pages: 495
Format: Paperback ARC
Source: a book tour
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"WE HAVE YOUR GRANDDAUGHTER. HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO DO."
That's the text message Supreme Court Justice Arnold Hirschfeld receives as hearings commence in the U.S. Supreme Court to determine the fate of the 28th Amendment - enacted to criminalize abuse of power on the part of our political representatives.
In court to defend the amendment, retired U.S. District Court Judge Cyrus Brooks observes his old friend and law school classmate Hirschfeld acting strangely and dispatches veteran D.C. homicide detective Frank Lotello to find out why.
In the meantime, Hirschfeld's precocious and feisty 11-year-old diabetic granddaughter Cassie, brutally kidnapped to control her grandfather's swing vote upholding or invalidating the amendment, watches her insulin pump running dry and wonders which poses her greatest threat, the kidnappers or the clock. As Brooks is forced to choose between saving our nation or saving the girl.
Chapter 1
Tuesday, May 6, 6:30 am
We have your granddaughter. Here’s what you need to do.
Thomas T. Thomas III reviewed the language. Again. He closed the phone without hitting send. Yet.
He stared through high-powered binoculars from atop the wooded knoll. As always, the girl hit one perfect shot after another.
Cassie Webber. Age 11. He’d been tailing her for three months. It seemed longer.
She was chaperoned everywhere she went. Two-a-day practices before and after school. Her dad drove her in the morning. He watched her empty bucket after bucket and then dropped her off at school. Her mom picked her up after school, ferried her back to the practice range, and brought her home after daughter and coach finished. Mom and daughter sometimes ran errands on the way, but always together. Even on the occasional weekend outing to the mall or the movies, the girl was constantly in the company of family or friends. Having someone hovering over me all day would have driven me batshit.
His childhood had been different. When Thomas was her age, he walked to school on his own. And he lived a lot farther away than the girl. His daddy had never let his driver chauffeur him around. Wasn’t about to spoil him. Spare the rod, spoil the child. Didn’t spoil me that way either.
He kept telling himself patience was the key. But his confidence was waning. And then, suddenly, he’d caught a break. The girl’s routine had changed.
She started walking the few blocks between school and practice on her own. Dad dropped her off at morning practice and Mom met her at afternoon practice instead of school. Only a ten minute walk each way, but that was all the opening he needed.
Everything was finally in place. He would be able to make amends. He would not let them down.
This time.
She completed her morning regimen, unaware of Thomas’s eyes trained on her from his tree-lined vantage point. No doubt about it, he thought to himself. She was incredibly good. Driven.
Determined.
And pretty.
Very pretty.
He relieved himself, thinking about her. A long time . . . coming. Haha! As the girl disappeared into the locker room, he trekked back down the hill, and climbed into the passenger side of the van. He returned the binoculars to their case. He removed the cell from his pocket, and checked the pending text one more time.
Moments later, the girl emerged from the locker room, golf bag exchanged for the backpack over her shoulders. She ambled down the winding pathway, waved to the uniformed watchman standing next to the guardhouse, and crossed through the buzzing security gate. She headed off to school.
Without taking his eyes off her, Thomas barked at the man sitting next to him. “Go.”
My Thoughts
The Amendment Killer by Ronald S. Barak is an intense political thriller from start to finish. The author deftly weaves a tale with a kidnapping in which the ransom is much more than money…it’s the outcome of a Supreme Court decision. I really enjoyed the way the book was set up. Mr. Barak does an incredible job of explaining the ins and outs of a Supreme Court case, along with all of the ‘legalese’, while still making it an easy-to-read and enjoy story. The Amendment Killer had me on the edge of my seat…and up past my bedtime to finish the last part because I had to know how the story played out.
This isn’t a genre I read in very often, but I absolutely loved it and had a hard time putting it down. I’m looking forward to reading the prequel to this book as well as more from Mr. Barak.
Giveaway
This is a Rafflecopter giveaway hosted by Partners in Crime Virtual Book Tours for Ronald S. Barak. There will be 1 winner of one (1) Amazon.com Gift Card. The giveaway begins on February 1 and runs through March 4, 2018.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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