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The Rage #3
Secret Rage: A Mystery
Jack Warren is back, and this time he is chasing a predator that stalks the streets of downtown Toronto. The vicious killer preys upon sex workers and leaves a bloody swath of carnage in his wake. Jack and his partner, Jenny Alton, join with the division’s Major Crime officers to hunt down this dangerous madman, but when Jenny is targeted as the next victim, the chase becomes personal for Jack. A violent confrontation will reveal horrifying secrets and Jack’s own bloody link to the monster, providing the highly anticipated climax to a gripping series.
270 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
December 13, 2012
Secret Rage is definitely a page turner, as evidenced by my reading time of less than a day. Unfortunately, I was distracted from the plot by the sad treatment of women throughout the novel. Although there are several opportunities for Pilkey to introduce a strong female character, most notably in Jack's new partner, Jenny, the author entirely fails to do so. Jenny and her fellow female cop, Kris, are reduced to sexual objects for the entertainment of the their male colleagues and any other men they meet on the job. They are constantly the subjects of sexual harassment, a sad statement on the equality of women in law enforcement, especially since they accept this treatment without question. During almost every fight scene in the book (and there are many), Jenny is immediately incapacitated, leaving Jack, with all his machismo, to save her. Jack's wife, Karen, is spared the damsel-in-distress caricature, but instead is portrayed as a jealous and manipulative ice-queen, who conspires with her mother to secretly get pregnant and force Jack to leave the police force. With characters like these, could it get any worse? It can! The novel begins with a scene following a young sex worker, Star, as she is attacked by a brutal john. The scene allows Star to be more than her occupation; she is a young woman who is being victimized and the reader is naturally sympathetic. Unfortunately, this scene is possibly the only one in which sex workers are given this sympathy. Throughout the rest of the novel they are nameless "crack whores," which greatly reduces the impact of their victimization throughout the novel. The misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia throughout the novel create a disturbing portrayal of Toronto. Although the plot was interesting, I just couldn't get past the unsettling treatment of women. The raging sexism is no secret in Secret Rage.
November 26, 2023
This has been my favorite so far in this series. Pilkey is a fantastic writer and his realistic portrayals of policing and the City of Toronto make these an even more enjoyable read. I know the area this series takes place in well and Pilkey's writing feels like a turn by turn Rollercoaster ride in the streets of 51. Highly reccomend!
October 9, 2017
I don't think it's much of a mystery but it is fast paced and interesting. Doesn't have a big twist at the end, but still was a nice, light-hearted read.
December 22, 2014
Jack is a cop working in 51 Division in Toronto. It's a rough area to work in because of the drugs and the prostitutes but he loves it.
Someone is brutally beating prostitutes and Jack, Jenny (his partner) and the rest of 51 Division are trying to find out who that is. Plus to clean up the area and send out a message, Jenny poses as a prostitute so they can arrest the johns.
In the meantime, tension at home is increasing as Karen, Jack's wife, and her parents are pressuring Jack to quit 51 Division and the police force. The only thing welcoming for Jack at home is his newly adopted dog, Justice.
This is the third book I've read by this author (it's the third 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, not just from Jack's perspective. As a head's up, there is violence, adult activity and a lot of swearing.
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.
Jack could take the easy way out and quit his job to make his wife and in-laws happy but he doesn't because he's good at what he does and he wants to make the city a better place. Karen seems totally unreasonable but I can see it from her perspective. Yes, Jack was a cop when she married him but she doesn't want to get a call that he's been killed in the line of action. Too bad she hadn't thought of that before she married him ... or too bad she thought she could change him once they were married. Jack met Jenny when he transferred to 51 Division last year. There has always been a spark between them but they've never acted on it because he's married, though unhappily. It was nice to to know the supporting characters more in this book which made them more human ... like Jack's father-in-law's experience driving through 51 Division so he could see for himself the area that Jack takes care of every day.
I'd recommend this book and look forward to reading others by this author.
Blog review: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2014/12...
Someone is brutally beating prostitutes and Jack, Jenny (his partner) and the rest of 51 Division are trying to find out who that is. Plus to clean up the area and send out a message, Jenny poses as a prostitute so they can arrest the johns.
In the meantime, tension at home is increasing as Karen, Jack's wife, and her parents are pressuring Jack to quit 51 Division and the police force. The only thing welcoming for Jack at home is his newly adopted dog, Justice.
This is the third book I've read by this author (it's the third 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, not just from Jack's perspective. As a head's up, there is violence, adult activity and a lot of swearing.
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.
Jack could take the easy way out and quit his job to make his wife and in-laws happy but he doesn't because he's good at what he does and he wants to make the city a better place. Karen seems totally unreasonable but I can see it from her perspective. Yes, Jack was a cop when she married him but she doesn't want to get a call that he's been killed in the line of action. Too bad she hadn't thought of that before she married him ... or too bad she thought she could change him once they were married. Jack met Jenny when he transferred to 51 Division last year. There has always been a spark between them but they've never acted on it because he's married, though unhappily. It was nice to to know the supporting characters more in this book which made them more human ... like Jack's father-in-law's experience driving through 51 Division so he could see for himself the area that Jack takes care of every day.
I'd recommend this book and look forward to reading others by this author.
Blog review: http://www.teenaintoronto.com/2014/12...
September 15, 2012
"*** I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads ***
** The Giveaway was Listed By Sarah **
* I received my copy on Thur, Oct 15, 2012 *
THANK YOU GOODREADS FIRST READS AND Sarah! "
I must say that this was quite the page turner. I was expecting a police mystery and I think that isn't quite what it is. While there is a big reveal towards the end of the book it really doesn't have the feel of a classic mystery. I would say it falls much more under the title of thriller. But even so it was a infectious story. I was a little turned off by the characters being mostly big weightlifter types but I can see why they were used. The way Brent portrayed Jack's wife hit a nerve for me and I found it loaded with realism. Jack's reactions to his wife's methods I felt were also very realistic and corresponded many of the feelings that went through my head in dealing with a similar situation. He clearly shows how 2 sides of a situation can be interpreted by different people. If I was to offer a suggestion it would be to split into chapters a little bit. The books only separations were by dates and it led to an extremely long ending with no real break. However by that time in the book you are anxiously turning the pages to see what happens. I was slightly disappointed that the father-in-law did not complete the transaction and suffer the consequences which probably could have added some more to the story and some well deserved vindication on Jack's part. I highly recommend this book for any one who enjoys police drama.
Theo
** The Giveaway was Listed By Sarah **
* I received my copy on Thur, Oct 15, 2012 *
THANK YOU GOODREADS FIRST READS AND Sarah! "
I must say that this was quite the page turner. I was expecting a police mystery and I think that isn't quite what it is. While there is a big reveal towards the end of the book it really doesn't have the feel of a classic mystery. I would say it falls much more under the title of thriller. But even so it was a infectious story. I was a little turned off by the characters being mostly big weightlifter types but I can see why they were used. The way Brent portrayed Jack's wife hit a nerve for me and I found it loaded with realism. Jack's reactions to his wife's methods I felt were also very realistic and corresponded many of the feelings that went through my head in dealing with a similar situation. He clearly shows how 2 sides of a situation can be interpreted by different people. If I was to offer a suggestion it would be to split into chapters a little bit. The books only separations were by dates and it led to an extremely long ending with no real break. However by that time in the book you are anxiously turning the pages to see what happens. I was slightly disappointed that the father-in-law did not complete the transaction and suffer the consequences which probably could have added some more to the story and some well deserved vindication on Jack's part. I highly recommend this book for any one who enjoys police drama.
Theo
March 28, 2013
I wouldn't call it a mystery. It's a police procedural with lots of action.
May 1, 2013
I read this in one day. Not my usual book but really well written and a great story!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews