Redlined: A Novel of Boston by Richard W. Wise

Redlined: A novel of Boston by Richard W. Wise
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A gripping page turner...

Author Richard W. Wise scores big with this mystery, suspense thriller, Redlined. Set against the backdrop of Boston's Jamaica Plain in the mid-70s, two interwoven plots are fused together throughout the narrative, ‘one is absolutely true, the other never happened, but very well might have.’ Skillfully constructed, this political thriller will have you turning the pages from beginning to end.

The book description gives a sneak preview: ‘The year is 1974. Boston's Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood under siege, a community skating along the razor's edge of decline. The banks have REDLINED Jamaica Plain, causing the housing market to crash, wiping out local homeowner's lifetime investments and opening the neighborhood to blockbusters and slumlords. Now, someone has begun systematically torching those abandoned buildings and the charred body of Sandy Morgan, a dedicated young neighborhood organizer, has been found among the ashes. Why? Who stands to gain? … Community organizer and Marine combat veteran, Jedidiah Flynt and Alex Jordan, his beautiful Harvard educated researcher together with a group of local property owners are determined to stop the redlining and bring the arsonists responsible for Sandy Morgan's death to justice. Their search will lead them through a labyrinth of corrupt politicians, Asian gangsters and bent churchmen.’

I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue. There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. When I stopped reading to work, I found myself wondering what happened in the book, and replaying parts of the novel in my head to see if I could figure more out. It has been a while since I enjoyed a book this much. It’s a well-written and gripping suspense thriller with perfect pacing. Not much is as it appears here, which is just the way fans of the Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense will want it.

This was a fascinating and captivating read that had me immersed from the beginning. The story flowed from scene to scene with ease, and the author shows exceptional ability when it comes to storytelling. The book may sound like a well-used storyline, but Wise weaves a different kind of tale, rich in details, twists, and heart-thumping scenes. Highly recommended.

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