The Victim (Badge Of Honor)

No one can tell a story like Griffin, and no one can develop characters like him either. By this time (the third book in the Badge of Honour series), we are getting to know the main characters a lot better. This book gives us a fascinating look at the Mob and its interaction with local police departments. There's a lot of politics in this book, but I think that is a daily fact of life with police departments, and the book shows the give and take of this relationship. I need to read the next book in order to find out what happens with the characters. That is what Griffin does to me - he hooks me with his characters. I get to feel that I know them all. What new scrapes is Matt Payne going to get into, and what happens with Wohl's career? You will need to read these books to find out what I'm talking about. And they should be read in order.

"The Victim" by W.E.B. Griffin is the third (of eight) in his "Badge of Honor" series and it is the charm. Easily the fastest moving of the first three.The central characters are more familiar and their roles more clearly defined. W.E.B. Griffin is a terrific storyteller. He gives just enough back-story to eliminate any confusion for those who pick up the series at random. I recommend reading in order---to see the players evolve. He is also a master at interior dialogue.Two seemingly unrelated shootings, a Mafia hit and a murdered cop supply the mystery. However what keeps you turning pages is his accurate portrayal of the workings of a police department; the loyalty, fealty, courage and camaraderie that connect the force to a common goal.The ending leaves a "more to come" feeling...one more reason to read installment four.

A contracted mafia hit, a murdered police officer, Young Matt Payne, Inspector Peter Wohl...W.E.B. Griffin continues to keep my interest in the Badge of Honor series. Book III seemed fast-paced enough for me. As with other installments in his series, things are never "wrapped up" with the end of the book. Everything is more along the line of "to be continued," which for Griffin fans, is what we have come to expect. On to Book IV, The Witness.

Great story, suspenseful, gripping, in keeping with Griffin's tradition of unmatched storytelling. Griffin has an uncanny way of keeping me up way past when I should be going to sleep. His books all stand alone, with enough background woven into the story for each to make sense even to someone who hasn't read the previous book(s) in the series. Each book in the Badge of Honor series is a 5 star book, as is each book in The Corps series. You just can't go wrong with a W.E.B. Griffin book.