Publisher's Synopsis
Max is a military veteran and former CIA asset. These days, he's retired from his life of service and is enjoying his middle age while pursuing his passion: high-risk cat burglary for only the wealthiest clients. While hitting the safe of a high-profile target, he stumbles upon a secret room, in which he finds a naked, chained up teenager. His job, with its explicit instructions to only take one specific item to "send a message," goes off the rails when he decides to take matters into his own hands.A little while later, Dean Roberts and Johnny Jones, local Alexandria, Virginia police officers, are sent to check out a crime scene at the home of a U.S. Senator, who has been murdered in what appears to be a burglary gone wrong. When they arrive at the scene, however, they determine that the death is way too gruesome to indicate a surprised burglar. Then they notice a secret chamber off the study with some disturbing furniture and paraphernalia. And what's up with the child-sized lingerie?Retribution by Michael Peck is an exciting and fast-paced novel revolving around Max's efforts to take down a child sex-trafficking ring. The novel switches between several different perspectives: Max, as he leaves a trail of destruction across Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., the police officers and FBI agents who are desperately trying to keep up, various members of the trafficking ring, and the corrupt government officials who are involved. At the beginning of the novel, the large number of characters was difficult to follow, but as I got to know them better, I grew to appreciate the way their stories were all brilliantly weaved into one cohesive plot. The twists and turns kept me guessing all the way through the book, and the characters' motivations weren't always what they seemed at the outset. The novel did a great job of portraying the good and bad sides of many of the main characters in a way that made them relatable. The plot was complicated, but the ending was satisfying, and all the loose ends were tied up nicely.
