[Review]* Justice By Another Name by E.C. Hanes

Set against the backdrop of North Carolina’s powerful hog-producing industry, Justice by Another Name tells the story of Paul Reavis’s suspicious workplace death followed a year later by a senseless death of his young son Paulie. Lana Reavis, who believes her husband was murdered and her son the victim of deliberate negligence, enlists the aid of her long-ago boyfriend, Will Moser, who is currently chief deputy of Hogg County and the heir apparent to the local sheriff. As Will’s investigation unfolds, suspicious activities and cover-ups begin to emerge. All evidence points to Oris Martin, the powerful owner of Martin Farms, a huge hog-production enterprise and Hogg County’s largest employer, as the mastermind. Despite political pressure and physical threats to look the other way, Will continues his search for what really happened. Meanwhile, Lana, convinced that Oris will be beyond the reach of justice, devises a plan to avenge her family and destroy everything precious to Oris Martin.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com

Length: 245 pages (Hardcover)

Series: N/A

Genre: Thriller

Publication Date: March 1st 2017 by RaneCoat Press

ADD TO GOODREADS

Think a life in the country is quite? Seemingly safe? Have you thought about moving to a backwoods county? Dreamt of sipping sweet tea while sitting on the porch swing breathing in the North Carolinian air? Me too. Except probably not where Will Moser chief deputy is.

There's just something about the politics of a small county that make everything seem so much more dangerous than anything that's happening in the big city. 

While only 245 pages long E.C. Hanes thriller packed a whale of a punch. Hogg County is a little and just like any small town things aren't at all like they seem in a postcards. There's a lot of secrets buried in the dry sunbaked dirt and Will Moser is right smack dab in the middle of a murder investigation involving a conspiracy theory centered around the county's biggest hog farmers and there is nothing he isn't willing to do to get to the bottom of the death he's investigating.  I  found Will Moser to be gruff but tenacious in his pursuit of justice. His uncanny ability to snuff out the clues that the bad guys had left, figuring no one in their podunk little county could be smart enough to put all the pieces. 

Justice By Another Name was one of those thrillers that really does depend on the smallest detail being given at just the right time to piece together the larger picture. While something may see insignificant, or irrelevant to the story a chapter later I'd find out that the author pulled a fast one on me and I'd be left trying to figure out how I'd missed it. 

Even though it was a shorter read it had an immense amount of detail, extremely well written characters and an amazing, creeping, slow building conclusion that came out of no where for me at least. I thought it was just the right amount of country without being overly so and would definitely recommend it to other fans of the small town thriller type reads. If slow building, character driven stories are what does it for you, I suggest giving Justice by Another Name a try and I am really looking forward to seeing if the author is going to stay the course and continue writing similar thrillers.