‘Courage’ by James Hardy is a crime thriller that brings with it quite an unusual duo. I was grabbed by the synopsis and jumped at the offer of being on the blog tour for it.
Joanne Sinclair is determined to find The Dorking Devil, a serial killer who she wants behind bars as soon as humanely possible. To do this she wants the help of Leroy Martin. The only issue with this is that Joanne is the person who put Leroy in prison for two years.
The history between them and the fact that Leroy expects nothing from anyone has the possibility of hindering Joanne’s search. Can this oddball duo actually work together and find this serial killer to stop any further murders? Or will they be following a death trail of bodies?
Leroy is a man who hasn’t had an easy life and no one has shown him much kindness but he is willing to help when he is needed. There is some deep connection between these two whether it be guilt or maybe trying to prove that he deserves to be acknowledged for more than the convict he is we don’t know, but that connection binds them together.
A book I enjoyed and one with more than just catching a serial killer. James Hardy does address other themes throughout, although it does concentrate on catching The Dorking Devil it is more than that. The characters of Leroy and Joanne are brought to life well by the author. We learn a lot about Leroy and his way of thinking. He is just trying to help and gets caught up in things he could have done without. All this just to help Joanne. He is a well-created man and he is central to the story.
It did make me think with Leroy, he is an ex-con who just wants a decent relationship with someone who wants peace and quiet as much as him. How many of us just see the label of ex-con and look no further.
A crime book that is much more than just crime, it gives us food for thought. A book I can highly recommend.
Thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours and Dark Edge Press for my copy of Courage.
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