Review: intrigue in the garden state!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 17, 2012
I first read Dave Conifer when I got my hands on Wrecker.  Finding that novel highly entertaining I decided that I would go through his other books one at a time.Enter Primary Justice (aka Trenton Makes)This is a novel about a man who never had much luck.  Billy Fargo is one of those guys that always finds himself on the wrong side of the tracks.  More or less a criminal, the streets and being on the wrong side of the law aren't strangers to him.  Billy's not a bad guy, he's just a guy how took some wrong paths in life. Even so, none of his past could prepare him for when he was tried and convicted of rape and murder 11 years ago.  When Billy finally gets out of jail he's got one thing on his mind: revenge.  Everyone in jail says they're innocent.  Billy really IS innocent.This is a very well plotted and very well written book.  It takes place primarily in PA and NJ.  Funnily enough I'm familiar with just about every place he's mentioned in the novel being I was born and raised in Central NJ.  From Philly to south jersey, from Bristol to Trenton and Lambertville, it's pretty interesting to read a book based on places that I'm very familiar with.What's just as interesting as Billy's story is how all the supporting characters are tied into it.  From the niece of an old friend to an ex girlfriend who lost her children in a fire (that billy was also set up for) to a bails bondsman/private investigator, Conifer really generates unique voices for each and every one of them as they're drawn further and further into the complex situation Billy finds himself in when it seems after 11 years in prison for something he didn't do, he's being set up again.The novel is about much more than wrong place, wrong time.  It's a deep seated mystery that had me turning pages as quickly as I could.  It's filled with plenty of tension and action and more importantly, great characters that are fun to read.I highly recommend Dave Conifer to anybody that likes a good suspense novel.  He's the real deal.  A great book at a greater price, this book's a steal.