A lot of folks know the name Ron Martinelli. Ron is a retired California police detective and the criminologist PhD owner-operator of Martinelli & Associates, a forensic consulting firm based out of Boerne, Texas. However, his name might soon become known more as a renowned novelist rather than as a police expert.
Absolute Justus is Ron’s first foray into the world of ficton writing. And with Absolute Justus Martinelli has hit a home run. At the risk of appearing bias, I have known Ron for more than a few years. We’ve worked together as police experts on a number of cases.
At 363 pages in the soft cover version, this is no afternoon read. However, upon starting it one morning, it was well into the evening when I finally put this page-turner down. For those in the law enforcement community, you’ll find this great read most compelling. For those not so engaged in the police culture, some might feel this book is too violent. However, in the world both Ron and I worked in, Ron being a retired detective from the Bay Area of northern California and myself a retired lieutenant from upstate New York, violence was a part of our jobs. But no doubt about it, some of the scenes described in Absolute Justus are extremely graphic.
Ron’s main character retired Texas Ranger Wade Justus, who’s indeed a noble man. Several years after the on-duty murder (during which Wade was present) of his beloved wife, Helen, who was a sergeant with a neighboring TX police department, he became involved in a series of violent sexual homicides dubbed the Sleeping Beauty Murders, occurring in Nashville, Tennessee. Wade volunteered to work on the case after his son, Hunter, a Special Agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations is put out of commission after being attacked and injured while investigating one of the incidents. Wade, a pro bono consultant to the Metro Nashville PD, eventually becomes a captive of the deranged assailant.
Without disclosing the climatic end to this excellent novel, I can attest to the range of emotions the reader will undoubtedly experience; from the professed love between Wade and Helen, Wade’s rage over the violence demonstrated by the demented suspect, up through the pride Wade feels for his son, Hunter. This book will undoubtedly move you.
Martinelli is a very gifted writer and destined to join the list of other novelists in the police genre a la, James Patterson, David Baldacci and Michael Connelly. This page turner will be difficult to put down. I’m eagerly awaiting Justus for All, Ron’s second book in the Wade Justus series.
Don’t miss out on the chance to own a personalized and autographed copy of Wade Justus’ latest book. Order now and make it a part of your collection.
To borrow a baseball analogy, Ron Martinelli is now “2 for 2.” This second Wade Justus book, Justus for All, went considerably faster for me than his first novel, Absolute Justus. Maybe that’s because I just couldn’t put the darn thing down, or perhaps it’s because I knew the two main characters from the first book. So, for a little lost sleep, I fished this fast-paced novel in one beach read. But even if you’ve never read Absolute Justus, the character development in this second work is excellent. The scene is Florence, Italy.
I’m of Italian descent and a past visitor to the “old country.” While my grandparents were from the southern part of Italy, mainly Sorrento and the Naples region, I’ve spent some time in central Italy, the city of Florence and the Tuscany region where Justus for All is set.
In this second novel, retired Texas Ranger Wade Justus and his son, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation agent Hunter, have embarked on a well deserved vacation to Italy. Recovering emotionally and physically from a horrible serial sexual murder investigation that took place months earlier in Nashville, Wade and Hunter have settled in with the family of an Italian police officer friend of Hunter, Investigator Lida Aldobrandini.
Even if you’re not into novels with a foreign setting, this thriller could’ve been set in Cleveland, Newark, or LA. This page-turner takes place over a seven day period and involves Wade and Hunter’s participation in a Middle Eastern terrorist threat bent murdering the President of Italy who’s visiting the city of Florence. That’s just the first two chapters. Mingled in with the sights around Florence, the novel’s main theme revolves around the working relationship between Wade and Investigator Aldobrandini after Hunter is wounded.
This piece reads like a movie script; fast-paced, filled with cop intrigue and the extremely accurate investigative techniques so familiar to us in the law enforcement industry. However, even those not ingrained in the police culture won’t be able to put this thriller down. I’m tempted to divulge more of what happens in this book, but I don’t want to spoil it for the reader who picks up Ron’s second Wade Justus novel. However, when you mix one retired Texas Ranger, a TBI special agent, add in a beautiful kick-ass female Italian police officer, and throw it several Middle Eastern terrorists just for grins, needless to say, the body count tends to increase. The rest as they say is “history.”
Speaking of history, in case you missed my first book review on Absolute Justus, here’s some background on the author. Ron Martinelli is a retired detective from the San Jose, Calif. PD. He also happens to have a PhD in Criminology, is a certified medical investigator and testifies frequently as an expert in police civil suits. While his professional creds may not seem irrelevant to his writing skills, his books are replete with accurate descriptions of the police culture, our investigative procedures, and tactics, as well as the forensics behind the crime-solving process we professionals use in closing cases. Cop or not, you’ll enjoy this read.
Don’t miss out on the chance to own a personalized and autographed copy of Wade Justus’ latest book. Order now and make it a part of your collection.
After a grueling battle with a Syrian terrorist cell and its notorious leader, Jamal “The Jackal,” retired Texas Ranger Wade Justus has finally returned to his beloved cattle ranch in the serene Texas Hill Country. He looks forward to some well-deserved rest and relaxation, but fate has other plans in store for him.
A distressing call from his old Texas Ranger partner and mentor shatters Wade’s peaceful respite. The partner’s deputy sheriff son has been abducted by the ruthless Tres Paises drug cartel, which operates between Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. Wade’s expertise and bravery are urgently needed, and he cannot refuse his friend’s plea for help.
Join Wade Justus on his next thrilling adventure as he once again steps up to serve justice in the face of danger. Border Justus promises to be a hair-raising and action-packed tale of courage and determination.
Don’t miss out on the chance to own a personalized and autographed copy of Wade Justus’ latest book. Order now and make it a part of your collection.
After a grueling battle with a Syrian terrorist cell and its notorious leader, Jamal “The Jackal,” retired Texas Ranger Wade Justus has finally returned to his beloved cattle ranch in the serene Texas Hill Country. He looks forward to some well-deserved rest and relaxation, but fate has other plans in store for him.
A distressing call from his old Texas Ranger partner and mentor shatters Wade’s peaceful respite. The partner’s deputy sheriff son has been abducted by the ruthless Tres Paises drug cartel, which operates between Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico. Wade’s expertise and bravery are urgently needed, and he cannot refuse his friend’s plea for help.
Join Wade Justus on his next thrilling adventure as he once again steps up to serve justice in the face of danger. Border Justus promises to be a hair-raising and action-packed tale of courage and determination.
Don’t miss out on the chance to own a personalized and autographed copy of Wade Justus’ latest book. Order now and make it a part of your collection.
