I often read police procedurals and it often ends up with the bad guys locked away, the police red tape getting in the way and such.
It made me wonder how a good thriller fiction about a vigilante would feel. Are there any good out there you could recommend?
by IngoVals
4 Comments
Highly recommended: Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series.
Without Remorse by Tom Clancy is basically the origin story of one of the supporting characters in his Jack Ryan series. The MC is a Vietnam vet who wages war on a drug gang that killed a woman he cared for.
Speaking of Vietnam vets, there were several “Men’s Adventure” series in the 70s about vets killing criminals. The most well known is probably the Executioner series by Mack Bolan, which was an inspiration for Marvel’s character The Punisher.
[“The Alchemist” by Kenneth Goddard](https://www.betterworldbooks.com/product/detail/the-alchemist-9780553255980?shipto=US&curcode=USD&gad=1&gclid=CjwKCAjw4P6oBhBsEiwAKYVkq9xenJBJnnLrwM60gAxPS0G0DcDyl8VNnp2YDkSWkCzD4cWHwy7dfRoCFdYQAvD_BwE) is *extremely* good. Despite being 400+ pages I finished it in about 3 days.
The book takes place in 1980s San Diego. Special agents go undercover in an off-the-books operation (no red tape, higher ups don’t know about it. Characters even work *against* legitimate police investigations at times).
There’s action and violence, tasteful and not excessive though. The characters are all exceptionally unique and well written. None of the characters made me immediately think of a trope or someone I had seen in other media. One of the most suspenseful, satisfying books I’ve ever read.
The character that really steals the show is a vicious killer named Rainbow. An extremely intelligent pimp and drug lord who has an obsession with knives.
Can’t recommend enough. Best Goodwill find I’ve ever had.
She’s not exactly a vigilante, but you might like the Jane Whitefield books by Thomas Perry. The heroine is an expert at rescuing people from terrible situations, and the bad guys certainly get what’s coming to them.