Title: Due Justice (The Hunt for Justice Series #1)
Author: Diane Capri
Pages: 316
Year: 2014
Publisher: AugustBooks
My rating 5 out of 5 stars.
Due Justiceintroduces to audiences the main character of Judge Wilhelmina (Willa) Carson as a federal judge in the Tampa Bay area. We get bits and pieces of Willa’s past throughout the novel. She is married to a man named George who owns and runs a very famous restaurant on the first floor of the building where they live. On the second floor, the judge and her husband reside with two dogs who are supposed to be guard dogs, but are more like fun-loving puppies to all who come in the door.
Willa, at least to me, is a unique character with strong convictions and a Mighty Mouse complex. Her husband attached that Mighty Mouse name to her because she always wants to rush in where fools shouldn’t because she wants to fix a problem. However, in this story, Willa is beginning to see that she cannot save all even though she tries very hard. I like her ability to read most of the other characters’ actions, words and body language whether they are in her court or elsewhere.
Willa especially tries to save her sister Carly from her own self-destruction and the multiple situations she seems to create in her life. Carly is the youngest and her insecurities and strong-willed nature tend to put her in tough spots. She also has a problem of not telling the truth even to Willa. Willa begins to try and figure out what Carly shared with her, including knowing the identity of a recent murder victim before the police! With Willa’s job and oath to office, she comes very close to being impeached as a federal judge.
Now Willa is not a saint; she is a cigar-toting woman in her private home and sometimes her actions put her in danger. In the novel, there are a couple uses of foul language, but overall the author does an excellent job of keeping readers engrossed in the mystery while at the same time building suspense. There were a couple of times I found myself laughing just imaging a scene in the book or reading Willa’s thoughts about some people in the higher echelons of society. I plan on reading the next novel in the series soon titled, Twisted Justice. Watch for a review coming soon!