Book Review

What would you do if a man kidnapped, raped and brutalized a woman you loved? Imagine if she was your daughter, wife or sister, and the case against the rapist is solid.
Then one day prior to the trial, a judge decides not to allow crucial evidence because of a technical loophole. Your family is advised that the perpetrator will go to jail, but it will be for a much lesser charge.
This is the question that The Fifth Angel, by author Tim Green, poses. There are two main characters in this suspenseful drama, attorney Jack Ruskin and FBI agent Amanda Lee. Ruskin’s daughter was the victim of a brutal rape. It is in the beginning of the book that we see her attacker’s trial changed by a judge’s decision to throw out evidence.
It is that decision that pushes Ruskin to the edge. His wife has left, his daughter is in an institution and he blames himself for it all. In the face of injustice, Ruskin decides that someone must take out the child predators of the world. It starts as an intricate and well thought out plan, and we watch as the risks escalate after each successful attack. Ruskin’s character is interesting to watch as he grows. Green’s knowledge of the law makes Ruskin’s preparations authentic, and it is his role as a father that makes Ruskin’s inner voice and his pain real.
Amanda Lee is also a character dealing with emotional baggage. She has recently lost her partner, and Lee is struggling to find a balance between her job and her family. The struggle is made more difficult by the fact that she is an excellent agent, but her husband fails to recognize and support this. Lee also has two kids whom she wants to be there for, but it is not always possible because of field work. All of these factors provide a story within the story, and it is Lee’s story that adds an interesting twist as the novel builds towards the final climax.
Green provides his readers with a well-crafted story, and all of the characters in this novel add flavor to the main story. It is also fun to see how Green provides pieces of his own life into the book. For example, he places a scene in the law firm of Hiscock and Barclay, which is the same firm that Green practices law. He takes time to go back and forth between Ruskin and Lee, and we get to watch as the story builds to a great moment of final justice and the ending is truly heartwarming and realistic.