Book Description
Newly promoted to sergeant, Philadelphia detective Matt Payne finds himself in the middle of three assignments at once: trying to nail down a cop killer, a serial rapist, and a murderer who fled to France 20 years ago. It's enough to burn out any cop. But Payne's not just any cop. And he's about to show the bad guys that there's no place they can hide from him-or from justice...
Final Justice FROM THE PUBLISHER
Newly promoted to sergeant, Philadelphia detective Matt Payne finds himself in the middle of three assignments at once: trying to nail down a cop killer, a serial rapist, and a murderer who fled to France 20 years ago. It's enough to burn out any cop. But Payne's not just any cop. And he's about to show the bad guys that there's no place they can hide from him-or from justice...
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
If God is truly in the details, then Griffin must be the pope of police procedurals. Want to know what paragraph of the Pennsylvania Criminal Code you violate if you use a flashing blue light attached to your car to get through traffic? Or what the chances are of a patrolman or detective passing the Philadelphia Police Department's exam for promotion to sergeant? Or what happens to the badge worn on the chest of an officer killed in action, after the funeral? All of this-and much, much more-is revealed in the eighth data-heavy entry in Griffin's Badge of Honor series (The Murderers, The Investigators, etc.). What's even more amazing is that all these factoids don't slow down the story's considerable momentum for a minute. Nor do they keep Griffin's gritty cops from convincing us of their individuality. Matt Payne, a detective with the Philadelphia police force, has just been promoted and transferred to Homicide. The cases he gets during his first few days at the post are a rich mix of mayhem entangling all strata of Philadelphia society: an apparently simple shooting in a fast food outlet that turns out to be almost unsolvable; a savage rape and murder with some serious anti-cop political overtones; an extradition case involving a fugitive murderer from France; and, for comic relief, the supervision of a visiting movie star who wants to make his police pictures more authentic. What holds it all together is Griffin's infectious respect for and fascination with police work. Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Final Justice is the story of murders at three different locations in Philadelphia, their investigations, and the ultimate apprehension of the perpetrators. No dry detective novel here, for Griffin populates his Philly P.D. with some rather colorful and down-to-earth characters. These two productions present a nice contrast. The abridged version, read by Philip Bosco, is exciting enough, but the unabridged program, narrated by Patrick G. Lawlor, has all the nice details and fills in all the gaps. Lawlor's narration is clean and enthusiastic, with both dialog and narrative very expressive. Bosco has a very distinctive, mellow voice; his reading is more than a bit understated and dispassionate, making this solid tale a delightful experience. Public libraries should at least consider the abridgment.-Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Community Coll., Lynchburg Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
AudioFile
The eighth in the Badge of Honor series places readers alongside the men and women of the Philadelphia Police Department, offering penetrating insight into the workings of big city law enforcement. Patrick G. Lawlor's distinct and unforced delivery adds an exciting dimension to this engaging story. Perhaps most remarkable is his vocal representation of key players. Lawlor seems to sense, then verbally express, the persona of each. Rather than differentiating characters through intonation, he uses expressive diction and pace to project who these people are. Lawlor's laid-back power provides a bonus to this excellent story. T.J.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2003, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
The eighth in the 'Badge of Honor' series about the Philadelphia police department (The Investigators, 1998, etc.) continues to follow the amazing career of Special Operations detective Matt Payne. Now promoted to sergeant and assigned to Homicide, Matt is a little dazed by his new rank and station. He's a recent University of Pennsylvania grad and the top-scoring entrant in the biannual department exams, but he hasn't spent enough time in uniform on a beat to be as savvy as the department thinks he should be. Matt has bereavement problems as well: he's still throwing up and going into cold sweats six months after the shooting death of his beloved Susan Reynolds. Meanwhile, he's mired in departmental politics and stuck with an assignment to a Dignitaries Protection event meant to keep the public at a distance from visiting film star Stanley Colt. (Stanley, who while playing detectives has been known to fire 47 rounds from his seven-round .45 without reloading, wants to know how real cops work.) Plus, Matt's got three big cases going down at once, The first turns on a shooting in a Roy Rogers diner during which two black perps killed a waitress and a lone cop who had not waited for backup before entering the diner. The second is a serial rape and murder whose implications are far from simple. The third involves Fort Festung, who 20 years ago murdered his girlfriend and left her body mummified in a trunk, then took off for France (no extradition); from his Paris jail cell he sends snide postcards to the Philadelphia PD. Matt is dizzily attracted to Terry Davis, who handles the Colt visit for Global Artists Management, but soon finds himself bedding Detective Olivia Lassiter. After readingthis hugely fact-crammed procedural, you too can pass the Philadelphia police exam. Speed-dial plotting, lively entertainment.
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