Review: A Realistic, Raw and Gritty Tale
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 31, 2014
J.D. Mader's "Joe Cafe" is a crime thriller about a psychotic murderer/kidnapper, a small town cop, a strip club owner, a kidnapped stripper/waitress and a host of mafia references that tie it all together.The story begins with a gruesome murder of four people at Joe Cafe - the Chinese husband and wife owners of the cafe, their most frequent patron and a very unlucky coed. All are needlessly slaughtered by a mentally unstable military veteran out to get the attention of the local police chief.After the murders, the killer decides to go to a strip club and takes an interest in one of the girls who was nice to him during his visit to the club.  He then kidnaps her after her shift is over. Unbeknownst to him, the woman is the girlfriend of the strip club owner who will go to any length to get his girlfriend back and make the kidnapper pay for his mistake.After the kidnapping, the story takes the reader on a roller-coaster ride of emotions where you feel sorry for the murderer/kidnapper and can almost, just almost like him.  You also could almost believe that there is a budding love bond forming between the victim and her kidnapper.Interspersed between the main story, there are views into what the local police chief is going through after the murders occur in his town (not a pleasant story) and during the hunt for the perpetrator.  I do not want to give away too much, so no spoilers here ... You will have to read the book to find out what happens next.This novel has some very graphic depictions as well as quite a lot of profanity, but that is what makes the story more realistic, compelling and a definite page-turner.This is not a genre I normally read, but the writing was well done and the story was well thought out. If you like the Sopranos and like a happy ending, you will enjoy this book.