Review of Blood on The Badge

[Shrabastee Chakraborty]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Blood on The Badge" by John G. Good.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Former Navy SEAL Matt O’Neil was almost at the end of his probationary period at the Greenfield Police Department. On the morning this story started, Matt received an urgent plea from his colleague, Chris Mills. Even after taking the injured rookie to the nearest hospital, they could not save him. While everyone was busy searching for the car that had hit Chris, yet another officer died. Soon, it seemed someone had specifically targeted the Greenfield Department rookies. With all evidence pointing to Matt, inexplicably associating him with each gruesome death, could he prove his innocence? Blood on the Badge, a police procedural by John G. Good, holds the answer.

The storyline in this crime thriller demanded rapt attention from us. Every homicide seemed to throw even the seasoned officers off the track. Despite the evidence, Matt’s scrupulous, honorable image made it difficult to consider him a suspect. Unbeknownst to the characters, however, we readers were privy to valuable information that created an idea about the perpetrator’s identity. Still, the plot kept its secrets hidden until the end, making us question our judgment. Just as a seed of suspicion began to germinate in our minds, the story suddenly took a much darker turn.

Good provided a lot of inside stories, utilizing his experiences in the police departments to the fullest. This novel was a perfect police procedural, highlighting technical matters in great detail. I loved the camaraderie between the officers and admired their determination to capture the criminal who had killed their colleagues. At the same time, Good elaborated on departmental politics, rife with undercurrents of jealousy and rivalry. He used flashbacks as a means to establish the characters’ backstories. These glimpses into the past gave us a firm idea about each character while revealing several clues. I also liked how Good emphasized the anxiety and uncertainty that are constant companions of a police officer’s family.

Yet, I had several complaints regarding the structuring of the story. The novel began with the first death, with the subsequent funeral spanning the first 25% of the book. In the meantime, I had to plod through at least three detailed flashback scenes and an overwhelming amount of information, unsure how much would be pertinent to the original story. I liked when the backstories provided insights into the main characters; however, much of it was unnecessary. For example, while reading about Matt’s heroics on the battlefield, we did not need to know about the life experiences of his previous commander’s father. Often, Good would incorporate these scenes at a crucial moment when something important was happening in the present, making the pace sluggish.

From a technical standpoint, the book required thorough proofreading and editing. Along with numerous mistakes, Good seemed to have a penchant for peppering each sentence with unnecessary commas. These errant commas kept hindering the flow of reading. The following sentence would be an example: “This picture is taken, at the Greenfield Police Department, after each rookie graduated from, ILETC.” (page 117)

Deducting one star for the editing mistakes and another for the other issues I mentioned, I rate the book 2 out of 4 stars. I recommend this to readers who appreciate police procedurals and crime thrillers with unpredictable twists. Keeping in mind the violent incidents, I would recommend a mature audience.

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Blood on The Badge
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[Amy Luman]

I know that Matt seems like he couldn’t be the one who committed the crimes, but honestly, how well do we know anyone else? I would be interested to know ho everything fits together.

[Chrity Edwin]

Thus is exactly my kind of book. Would definitely be an interesting read for me. Love how detailed your review is. Kudos.

[Shadreck Rogers]

This sounds like a Hollywood spy-thriller. It is a must-read. Thanks for the review.

[Okorji98]

The storyline in this crime thriller demanded rapt attention from us. Every homicide seemed to throw even the seasoned officers off the track. Great book.

[NetMassimo]

This seems like a thriller with good potential burdened by an uneven pacing and mistakes. More editing is needed to make the best of it. Thank you for your honest review!