Book Review: Targeted

 Targeted, a Christian thriller by John M. Wills, is the third in the Chicago Warrior Thriller series. It weaves together two different threads. Here is the cover blurb:

A sniper is targeting and killing cops in Chicago, leaving no clues or witnesses. Detectives Marilyn Benson and Pete Shannon are on the task force charged with capturing this serial killer. These random police executions rock The Windy City and impact the investigators on the job and in their personal lives.

Father Ed Matthews, a Catholic priest, is arrested for child molestation. Freed on bond, he flees Chicago embarking on a journey that will cause him to question his faith and his future with the Church.

John M. Wills has written about a subject he knows well. He’s spent 35 years in law enforcement, receiving two of the highest awards given for valor by the Chicago Police Department. He’s also been an FBI agent.

With all his experience, he gives the reader an insider’s look into the police force and the lives of those who work there. Shannon and Benson are portrayed as real people, with their own lives and problems, foibles and blessings. And even in the toughest of situations, they have their faith.

Readers spend parts of the book with Father Matthews who is on the run and creating a new life outside of the church. They also are with Benson and Shannon as they try to track down the virtually invisible cop killer who strikes silently with immediate and deadly force. Wills does a good job of bringing the two seemingly disparate threads together in the unexpected climax.

Targeted
Amazon
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I give Targeted by John M. Wills a rating of Hel-O! since Wills is a new-to-me author.

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FTC Disclaimer: Targeted was sent to me by the author, John M. Wills. This did not influence my review. I believe this was the first Christian thriller sent to me. The deeply religious convictions of the two protagonists stand out in Targeted. And before you think I consider this was a negative, I don't. Every book has a “thread” that ties it together. It might be horrifically graphic murders or a search for true love or the loner who becomes the toast of the town. In this case, a big part of the story was how faith carried the characters through hard times. Sometimes, it’s informative for both readers and writers to read a book and ask, what is this about? Sure, it’s about the story, but what is the unifying theme? Ask yourself as you read or as you write, under the love story or the murderer on a spree or the search for a missing child or whatever, what ties it all together?