I’ve become a huge fan of Gregg Hurwitz. So far I’ve only read more recent work so I decided to start the Tim Rackley series that the author started in 2004. Well, let me just say that I haven’t been so emotionally disturbed by a story in a long time. The heinous murder of their 7-year old daughter, Ginny, tilts Tim and his wife Dray’s world upside down. Each of them coping with the loss and all their feelings in different ways. As a reader, you discover that Tim and Dray are loving parents, genuine people and you can only empathize deeply with them. Very, very deeply.Both Tim and Dray work in law enforcement, Dray as a sheriff’s deputy, Tim as a deputy US Marshal, and as they both deal with a parent's greatest nightmare, things become even worse when the alleged murdered is set free because of a violation of his 4th Amendment rights during his arrest. Tim is so distraught over this turn of events, that he considers taking the law into his own hands. As he contemplates this action, Tim is approached by an unusual band of vigilantes known as The Commission. Each member of The Commission has suffered a great personal loss along the lines of the Rackleys. And, in each of their cases as well, the perpetrator has gone free because of some legal technicality.Without giving away too much of the plot let me just say that the anguish that Tim feels over the loss of his daughter pales in comparison to the guilt that he begins to feel as he becomes the hit man for The Commission. This very human story tests the depths of many emotions, especially the relationship that a husband and wife have to deal with after a loss of this magnitude.Hurwitz has done another outstanding job with his character development in this novel. The only negative thing I would remark on is the phrasing and writing style was sometimes too convoluted. I think this author has gotten better with that in recent years.
Tim and Dray Rackley are my fictional superheros. Tim is a U. S. Deputy Marshall, as well as ex-military, and Dray works for the Sheriff's Dept. Up to this point their lives had been ideal. But their world is shattered when their daughter is viciously murdered. Now I don't know of a scenario that one can write about that could be worse. Plus, I have a daughter that at the time I read the book was the same age. I won't lie it was gut-wrenching, but I stayed with the book and I am so glad that I did. The justice system broke down on Tim and Dray. So Tim quits his job and is soon recruited by a vigilante group, called The Commission. If he does their bidding and assassinate who they want killed, then they will give him the file of the person that actually killed his daughter. My heart was in my throat as I read Tim and Dray's struggle to deal with their daughter's death, their now strained marriage and their sanity. This is not a romance in the traditional sense, but Tim and Dray loved each other and it showed in this book, at least to me. Now I won't reveal the rest, because I don't want to give away the ending, but you must make it to the end to find the surprise inside. It was a powerful book and the succeeding books in the series was just as good.
What do You think about The Kill Clause (2003)?
This simply was just a tedious book to read. I feel like there was a good story hidden inside this book, but it definitely did not captivate or in any way enthrall me. There were certain times while reading this that I felt that this story would be perfect as a typical Arnold Schwarzenegger movie, especially with this line "Rhythm, Mitchell growled down at him, meet the blues." Would fit perfectly coming out of Arnie's mouth. Anyway I digress, the book was written well enough but I don't think there was any real emotion involved and each major character felt robotic.
—Bryan
This is the series that started it all for Gregg Hurwitz. In the Kill Clause, we're introduced to Andrea and Timothy Rackley. They just lost their little girl to a brutal murder. Both of them are U.S. Deputy Marshals, when this tragedy strikes home. Their grief takes them apart and gives them a brief separation from the pain. When there's a travesty of misjustice due to a technicality, the killer gets out scot-free. And things gets interesting from there, when we watch Tim quit his job and later gets mysteriously recruited by the Commission. Or so it seems, as they dispense justice to those who shouldn't walk the earth their way. Later on, when things go away, things get deadly and the truth Tim's been looking for isn't too good, when there's a near fatal end game between those who've wronged him and how he paid the price for it. For Tim and Andrea, we see how their sorrow tears them apart and brings them together, stronger than ever. What a rush for a thrill ride in this thriller.
—Kristen
This book was a mess. Trained killer good guy goes rogue after his daughter is brutally killed, then reconsiders and ends up taking out his co-vigilantes and saving the criminals. With a bit more character development this premise might actually have worked but Hurwitz' characters were robots. Another problem is that the life of a federal marshall was researched within an inch of its life...and not in a good way. A procedural manual might have been more entertaining. That said, I actually finish
—Marti
