Fear's Justice

by Marc Olden

Book Overview

Late in life, Fear Meaghal has fallen head-over-heels in love with Linda, a detective who's married to corrupt cop Bobby Schiafino. When Linda is found murdered in an airport parking lot, Meaghal sees... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0679448381
• ISBN13: 9780679448389
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Villard
• Length: 317 Pages
• Weight: 1.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.8" x 1.3" x 6.5"

Customer Reviews

Fun and Fast

This is one mean cop, the author takes the somewhat tired standby and doubles the nastiness and hatred to get a character that seams new. I thought the character was a personal embodiment of the bad parts of NYC from the 80's - at least for us who did not live there, our nightly news painted picture. This book is a fun, gritty book that has a very fast pace - - similar to watching a Die Hard movie, it is going to give you fast paced action and a satisfying ending. The characters are a bit one sided but it works in the book. This is not a character study with rich insights to the people, but an action thriller and gets up and moves.

a winner

After having read 2 mediocre mysteries I really needed a winner- and this book is that- very well written, characters multi dimensional - the story transports the reader to the mean streets of NYC- no work of art- rather a very intriquing way to spend the 4 or 5 hours required to finish the book. Olden is a major find for me.

Fear's Justice

Fear's Justice, a story by Marc Olden, takes place in the streets of New York City. Fear Meagher is a detective who is about to investigate his own life. He sees himself as a good cop, but today's society views him as a racist pig and a sexist as well. Fear Meaghers life was going pretty smooth up until his lover, and the wife of a fellow policeman, was murder at a local airport. Fear will do anything to get a prime suspect; he wants to find out why his lover was dead and if her murder was linked to the murders of nine others. Fears main resource is his worst enemy, Carlyle Taylor, a black female journalist long determined to get Fear thrown off the force. As their investigation unfolds both make a few new enemies. They get themselves drawn into a web of police corruption, dirty money, and murder for hire. The only way Fear might gain his justice is losing his own life. Fears Justice is a high intensity novel that rips through the story at a blistering pace. For those of you who prefer a story that doesn't take chapters to get interesting, this book is for you. You never feel uninterested; every page is full of information, and action. There are many secrets hidden about a group of New York policeman, that makes you wonder about the police in your own town. Marc Olden is an excellent writer in my book. His dialogue is sharp and his story hits you straight in the gut five times over. This novel is brutally full of honest insight. As each page turns you discover a new piece or link to something else in the book. It's quiet amazing. The way Marc Olden expresses Fear Meaghers thoughts and actions is stunning. Anyone could relate to the way this character thinks and reacts it is that realistic. The situations that take place in this book are happening to America as we speak. Situations like, abuse both physical and mental, stealing, lying, murder, set ups and blackmail right along with drug abuse. This book really captivates your mind, body and soul. I would recommend this book to someone who likes to keep thinking and putting clues together all through out a book. It is truly an adventure of your imagination, but at the same time it is made up of a dozen different life styles in the world today. It's a good reality check; it makes you appreciate all you have because things could be a lot worse. It is really a compelling story. The age group for this book would probably be fifteen through fifty. Definitely a two thumbs up!

Good, but exploits conservative fears of Dinkins era NY

Olden wrote a very interesting "steampunk" type novel in the early '80s, Poe Must Die. He's well-read and slips a lot of literary references into the racist, sexist internal monologues of his tough police detective antihero, Fear Meagher. I found myself wishing I'd kept a notebook of all the great wisecracks and one-liners in this quintessential New York story. Even though Meagher is a bigot with a heart of gold, I kept wondering if anyone but old white guys would find his jokes all that funny. I did, but I wasn't particularly proud of it. Also, the novel is already slightly dated, since it plays on middle class white fears of a black, liberal administration "losing control of the city," a situation that has changed completely with the Meagher-like Rudolph Giuliani in office.