Savage Rage: A Mystery

by Brent Pilkey

“Canadian policeman Pilkey writes from firsthand experience in his gritty procedural debut . . . ” – Publishers Weekly on Lethal Rage Transferred to 53 Division — known as the “Sleepy Hollow of Toronto” — after the murder of his partner, officer Jack Warren yearns to return to 51 Division, where his former colleagues are busy pursuing a criminal mastermind. Randall Kayne has been committing violent, bloody crimes that are hitting close to home in 51 Division, yet he manages to stay just one step ahead of the police. Although Jack’s wife wants him to leave the force entirely, an old enemy soon drags him into the Kayne case against his will, forcing a confrontation with Kayne that only one of them can survive. Masterfully entering into the hearts and minds of the cops of 51 Division, the second book in this exciting series propels Jack Warren deeper into the dangers of underground Toronto.

Genres: Mystery

264 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[Veronica · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a day in the life of a police officer in two different districts of Toronto. And that story is somewhat okay. But it is the protagonist who has many issues with work and his family life who just doesn't fit in. He is a bully with a short fuse and hasn't dealt with his former partner's death. He needs counselling but that would not be macho. Here is an officer that none of us would like to encounter.

[George C. Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better than the a First!

Excellent read. Jack Warren is a great character who develops with every book, I can’t wait to read book 3.

[Teena in Toronto · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack is a young police officer in Toronto. His wife didn't like him working in 51 Division so she pressured him to transfer to a less dangerous one. He finds 53 Division extremely boring and jumps at the chance to return to 51 Division. There's been a change there, though ... there is a new staff sergeant who is a huge pain for everyone.

Kayne is an ex-con who has been brutally beating up drug dealers to build up his reputation ... his signature is carving a "K" in his victims' foreheads. He is convinced by a weaselly small-time thug that the ultimate would be to do the same to a cop ... and he has his eye on Jack.

Things are still tense at home between Jack and his wife, Karen. She doesn't want him to be a cop anymore and is plotting with her mom, who is being unusually civil to Jack, to make that happen.

This is the second book I've read by this author (it's the second in a series) and I enjoyed it. I liked the writing style ... it's written in third person perspective with the focus on wherever the action is taking place (on Jack or on Jesse and Kayne). I thought the pace moved along well. The author is a cop and had spent many years in 51 Division so writes from experience. Even though the story is fiction, it was interesting to get the insight into the life of a cop, both on the job and at home. As a head's up, there is violence, adult activity and a lot of swearing.

I liked Jack. He is driven to make the city a better place, especially if it involves protecting the rights of children and animals. Some of his colleagues from the first book are back like his good friends, Manny, Paul and Jenny.


I'd recommend this book and look forward to reading others by this author.

Blog review post: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2014/12...

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the murder of his partner, Jack has transferred to 53 Division. The idea being that there is lest serious crime and he should be “safer.” His wife and her father would prefer that he quit and work a safer, more suitable career. Jack just wants to get back in the saddle. After an attack, he is transferred back to 51 Division. It’s not going to be easy with a new supervisor that is beyond difficult and a serial killer that is keeping one step a head of him.

I like how this book is written. It’s more like a biography than a story. It’s really easy to see all of these events as they would happen in real life. I also like how you get to see the inner workings of the police officers private lives. It’s hard to see how things happen and how each person feels, but you can understand both Jack and his wife stuck in this situation.

At first I was curious about the killer, but I got bored with him when he was wrapped up in getting high all the time. But when he got going, there was no stopping him. I couldn’t wait to see what happened next all the while cheering for Jack.

I have not read Lethal Rage yet, but don’t let that stop you from reading Savage Rage. I had no trouble keeping up with the story. Just so you know, this is not a pretty mystery. It has blood, guts, and drugs which gives it the real life feeling.

If you like mystery/thrillers, you do not want to miss Savage Rage and the other books in the series, Lethal Rage and Secret Rage. I can’t wait to catch up on the other two books.

This book was provided for free in exchange for an honest review.

[Emma Cunningham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the sec­ond book by Toronto cop Brent Pilkey, about being a police offi­cer in some of Toronto’s most crime-​riddled neigh­bour­hoods — Divi­sion 51, which con­tains Regent Park and Crack Cen­tral (aka Sher­bourne & Dundas).

Although this series is billed as a mys­tery series, I felt that the mys­tery took second-​place to main char­ac­ter Jack Warren’s life as a cop, and how it affects him and his rela­tion­ships with his wife, in-​laws, and fel­low police offi­cers. I know the Toronto Police Force (sorry..Police Ser­vice) weren’t too thrilled when the first book in this series, Lethal Rage, came out…but I see it as an hon­est por­trayal of how peo­ple adjust to con­stantly being faced with the worst of humankind on a daily basis. Jack may have his flaws, but over­all, he is a good man, and I’d be happy to know that peo­ple like him are pro­tect­ing us on a daily basis.

I would have liked the mys­tery aspect to be a lit­tle more pro­nounced. I think there was a really good story there, told through the eyes of the crim­i­nals, and I wish Jack had actu­ally been work­ing the case as a major plot rather than just stum­bling into it.

Over­all, I think this is a good series, and would rec­om­mend it, espe­cially to any­one from Toronto!

[Julia Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savage Rage is Brent Pilkey’s second book based on the character Jack Warren, a tough Toronto cop with an attitude, working the mean streets of 51 Division. Pilkey himself a veteran Toronto officer has lived these same streets, and brings his 22 years of experience to the pages of this intense new series. I read Pilkey’s debut novel, Lethal Rage, and really enjoyed the Toronto setting. There was actually some controversy within the police department when his first book was going to press. Because Pilkey is still actively working as a police officer there was an effort by his higher-ups to try and block publication, but eventually they relented. Good thing too because it’s a great read. In this second book, Warren is tracking a violent criminal mastermind who stays one step ahead of the police hot on his tail. Savage Rage is a compelling, well crafted thriller. At times it does feel less like fiction and reads somewhat like a memoir but regardless, Savage Rage will keep you turning the pages long after you should have shut out the lights and gone to sleep. Highly recommended.

[Tima · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jack has been transferred to another division after his partner is killed in the line of duty.
It's supposed to be a quiet division with little happening. But a very sick person is on the loose in his old district and Jack gets pulled back into the thick of things.

The book is about a evil criminal and the police officer that is going to bring him down. But it's also about how hard life can be when chasing crime. Not only for the officer, but for the family members as well.

I haven't read the first book, but it didn't seem to matter. This book started out strong and stayed that way till the end. The author has an amazing writing style and is really able to bring the characters to life.

The subject matter is a little dark, as expected. I had to put the book down a couple of times and read something more light-hearted before returning. But it was well worth it. Definitely a must read for a crime novel fan.

I received this book free of charge from in exchange for my honest review.

[Louise Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

**Won on GoodReads First Reads**