Silent Joe

If you haven't read T. Jefferson Parker, you're in for a treat. If you have, you'll want to read this one--it's a definite winner.At four, Joe Trona was burned by acid, then adopted by Will and Mary Ann. Now, 24, he is a Deputy Sheriff and helps Will with little things like driving him between meetings, bugging offices, and dropping off ransom money.Will is on his way to pick up a kidnapping victim when gunmen open fire, killing him. Joe feels responsible and vows to bring 'justice.' Of course, justice is a tricky concept. Will was involved in blackmail and definitely dirty politics in Orange County, CA. Joe won't be able to protect his father's memory and still send his killers to jail. Certainly he has no end of opportunities to get rich quick, though, if he will back off. Too many of his father's old political allies and enemies had reason to fear Will, reason to kill him.T. Jefferson Parker writes a fast-paced story. He deftly weaves together several mysteries--the murder, the kidnapping, an apparently accidental death of a maid, and develops Joe as a complex and believable character. Not many books make me want to call in sick to work just so I can finish them. I can't tell you how tempted I was to do just this with this fine novel.

I just read T. Jefferson Parker's new book "Silent Joe". What a great book! I've read his other books and enjoyed them, but this one is even better. While it's called a mystery it's really much more. It's the story of a young man who was horribly scarred as an infant by an abusive father, abandoned by his mother and raised in an institution for the early years of his life. As a young sheriff's deputy he witnesses the murder of the man who adopted him and becomes determined to find the killer. Along the way he finds his past and his future. The book is remarkable for it's ability to take you into Joe's mind. You feel his thought process, you feel his pain and see how even bad experiences can result in a good man. I found myself trying to read slowly to savor the words. Days later I can't stop thinking about it. I still think the only bad part was that it had to end.

Parker's new novel has all the qualities of what I tell my writing students qualifies as good literature: (1) a world so real the reader becomes a part of it and forgets that he is reading; (2) a plot so compelling and seamless that the reader is carried on its current; (3) characters complex and real enough that the reader believes he knows them personally and can learn from their triumphs and failures; and (4) a life-changing but undefinable quality that leaves the reader at the end a better person than before he read the book.I have followed Parker's writing since his first novel, Laguna Heat (actually, I was in one of the same writing seminars he was in at the MFA program at UCI in the early-mid 1970s, but neither of us was grown up at the time). I thought then that he had the potential to become one of the best mainstream novelists in America, and Silent Joe continues to confirm my estimation.I waited until the weekend to begin the book because I knew I wouldn't be able to put it down, and I was almost right. When I got within 50 pages of the end, I set the book down, cleaned the house, washed the dishes, checked my e-mail and played 50 games of double free cell so that I wouldn't have to finish the story. Then I picked it up again and finished. What a triumph! What a wonderful story! I can't think of what could be criticized in any major way -- plot, setting, rhythm, vocabulary, characterization, theme, descriptions, dialogue, -- all of it is superb.And I will "steal" some of the best lines like how Joe described his reaction to June, the radio journalist he was "attracted to" -- "My heart started thumping like a washing machine with a bad leg."

Last summer when his previous novel, RED LIGHT, was in its initial release, I had the rare honor of appearing on the same Round Table West luncheon program in Newport Beach as T. Jefferson Parker. As the author of a recently published mystery set in Orange County, I had the privilege of speaking to our Balboa Bay Club audience immediately before Mr. Parker. During my talk, I stated that Jeff Parker is the author who has taught all the rest of us Orange County mystery writers how to write about our unique region of Southern California.SILENT JOE continues to prove my point. It is a marvelously complex mystery that is Parker's strongest book to date. It will move him securely into the major league of crime fiction writers with the likes of Sue Grafton, Robert Crais, Sara Paretsky, and Robert B. Parker. In its complexity, it even reminds me of the works of the genre's immortals such as Hammett, Chandler, and Macdonald.Joe Trona was scarred for life by an acid attack at the hands of his biological father. He is adopted and nurtured by Will Trona, a local politico. When Joe grows up, he aspires to a career in law enforcement. He works in the Orange County jail and moonlights as driver/bodyguard for Will Trona. Will Trona is murdered. Joe wants to avenge the murder of the man who contributed the most to the person he has become. During his investigation, Silent Joe finds himself entangled in the kidnapping of a tycoon's daughter, the murder of two Latino immigrants, and a political corruption scheme. He uncovers long-bured secrets involving Will and himself.SILENT JOE is an extraordinary work by an extraordinary author. With every book he writes, Jeff Parker continues to show the rest of us Orange County mystery writers how to write about Orange County. Parker's best!

Meet Joe Trona, a scarred man.As a child, Joe had acid thrown on his face by his biological father. Spending much of his youth in an orphanage, Joe, is rescued by politician Will Trona. Tormented by the nightmares of his childhood, Joe, welcomes the love, and acceptance given to him by his new family.At twenty-four, Joe, now a cop, is his adoptive father's biggest fan. As the ever enthusiastic supporter of Will, he helps his father with his political career, but on an evening of "night business", things go terribly wrong leaving Will dead.On what started as a mission to rescue a kidnapped girl, turns into a storm of violence, lies, and deception...with Joe wondering if he knew his adoptive father at all.While trying to find his father's killer, and locate the missing girl, Joe, will uncover all the secrets that Will kept hidden, and he will be forced to face the painful memories of his childhood."Silent Joe" is another explosive novel from T.Jefferson Parker. While a suspenseful, page-turning thriller, it is much more, for at the heart of the novel lies the examination of love, and the power of man's spirit to overcome tragedy. With it's strong characters, powerful plot, and strong narrative "Silent Joe" races at break-neck speed to a statisfying conclusion.T. Jefferson Parker has been consistent with churning out fresh thrillers, and "Silent Joe" is no exception. Although a depature from the style of his previous thrillers, Mr. Parker keeps the pages turning by throwing in twists at every turn. A MUST read!Nick Gonnella