The Justice Cooperative

This is not a thick novel with a convoluted plot. It is a moderately small book with a straight-forward, exciting, & gut-wrenching story. You quickly understand & identify with the central characters and emotionally accompany them on their journey. The character-development is outstanding, as is the sharing of their evolving thinking. It is well-written, with a storyline based on current situations & common fears: attacks, stalking, defense, wrong-track government, etc. Unlike the great majority of books, even it's 'action' has a realistic feel. This is a book that will be recommended & passed to friends & family, followed by discussions. I think the only slight flaw in the book is too nit-picky to mention.

I'm happy to see that the Second Amendment seems to be forging its own niche as a unique genre. The first and most well-known is "Unintended Consequences" by John Ross, written in 1996. At 861 pages, UC is quite a hefty read, but it has developed a strong cult following because of its excellence. My own 2003 novel "Enemies Foreign and Domestic" is no featherweight either at 568 pages. Now we have the newest novel in the genre, "The Justice Cooperative" by Joe Martino. At 292 pages, is by far the most accessible of the three. "The Justice Cooperative" covers the nightmarish problem of one young married couple in a town in America. A few years earlier, they had been the victims of a home invasion by a violent criminal predator. The husband was knocked almost unconscious in the surprise attack, and his pretty wife was raped in front of him after he was tied up. The criminal was later arrested, and based on their testimony he was put in prison for an all-too-short plea-bargained sentence. As the novel opens, the governor of the state is commuting the sentences of all prisoners who have served more than one half of their time, due to prison overcrowding. Their tormenter is freed, and begins a crafty stalking campaign, threatening to repay them for their court testimony. The police are unwilling or unable to help the couple, because the freed criminal hasn't committed an actionable offense...yet. In desperation, the couple purchases a pair of handguns, and takes instructional courses to learn to shoot them effectively. During this instruction, they come to realize the crucial importance of the right to keep and bear arms spelled out (not "granted") in the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights. They learn how the law is effectively stacked against the innocent citizen, in favor of criminals. (The reader will also get a tremendous education in self-defense theory, practice and law simply by reading this book.) The "Justice Cooperative" of the title refers to a shadowy group which works to provide terminal justice to dangerous criminals the police can't-or won't-deal with, before they rape or kill even more victims. With an anonymous note, the faceless and nameless cooperative contacts the couple at a shooting range, where they have mentioned their struggle to defend themselves. The husband agrees to help the cooperative to target other violent felons, in return for later help with his own stalker. I don't want to say anything more about the plot, but I will say that "The Justice Cooperative" raises some very intriguing ideas for a covert form of vigilantism. Along the way, "The Justice Cooperative" makes a powerful case for the continuing importance of the Second Amendment in today's society. I highly recommend this book to anyone who owns a gun for self-defense, or who has ever considered owning a gun. Because it's much shorter than "Unintended Consequences" or "Enemies Foreign and Domestic," it may make a better initial "edu

The Congress just extended the meaningless "Assault Weapon Ban" as everyone knew they would. Do you feel safer? In the real world, gun laws affect only those who obey laws. But what about lawbreakers?The answer, of course, is that they ignore laws. So how do we defend ourselves from them once the politicians take our guns? This novel explores this problem in a forceful, believable way.Better written than other attempts at the genre, this novel takes the problem down to one man doing what he must to defend his wife from another man who wants to hurt her. And the small scale of the book gives it its power.Read it, and be prepared for the fire it will kindle in your belly.