T. Jefferson Parker - Silent Joe (2001)
I had always heard good things about Parker's books, but never got around to actually reading one until Silent Joe. So many times when writers come highly recommended their books end up being a disappointment. Not this time! I will definitely be reading more from T. Jefferson Parker in the future. He is a fine craftsman and this is an excellent book.
The title character is Joe Trona, a deputy in the Orange County Sheriff's Department and the adopted son of Will Trona, a highly-connected City Councilman and powerbroker. The reason he's called "Silent Joe" is because he doesn't speak much. The reason he doesn't speak much is because his biological father threw a jar of acid in his face when he was an infant, badly scarring and disfiguring him for life. After that he lived for several years in an orphanage before finally, and thankfully, being taken in by the Tronas.
With a childhood like that you might expect Joe to be bitter or even sociopathic. He's not, though. He is as kind and well-mannered, even gentlemanly, as any proud mother could hope. He is also smart, well-read, and a capable investigator. Those talents come in handy when the father he loves is murdered by a mysterious street gang, leaving Joe to find out why.
Silent Joe has a more intelligent story and better characterizations that most thrillers out there. The people that inhabit Parker's world are much more realistic and lifelike than the norm. Joe Trona, especially, is an intriguing figure, with pain and hope and desires that draw you in and make you care. Not incidentally, Silent Joe also has a suspenseful plot that keeps you eagerly turning the pages.
I don't know how I neglected reading T. Jefferson Parker's work before now. I won't make that mistake again!
Posted by David J. Montgomery in Book Reviews | Permalink
