Laws of Innocence: The Prequel

Martyr Maker #0.5

by Eriq La Salle

ACE for 9781301460021

10-year-old Joaquin adored and worshiped his mother, his grandfather, and God. His life was blissfully sheltered and filled with love until the day he was tragically robbed of his innocence. All of New York would soon discover that vengeance and justice sometimes come from the most horrific and unlikeliest of sources.

Genres: Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction, Crime, Short Stories, Mystery, African American

24 pages, ebook

First published October 29, 2012

About the author

Actor, director, producer, and masterful storyteller Eriq La Salle is best known to worldwide television audiences for his award-winning portrayal of Dr. Peter Benton on the medical drama ER. Educated at Juilliard and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, his credits range from Broadway to film roles, starring alongside Eddie Murphy in Coming to America, Robin Williams in One Hour Photo, and Hugh Jackman in Logan. La Salle has maintained a prolific acting career while also taking the helm as director for HBO, Showtime, Netflix, Amazon Prime, ABC NBC, Fox and CBS productions. His craft as a crime writer was honed over his many seasons as a key member of the Dick Wolf Entertainment team, which include four years as executive producer and director on Chicago PD, in addition to directing episodes of Law & Order, Law and Order SVU and Law & Order: Organized Crime. He is also executive producer, director, and one of the lead actors of Dick Wolf's “On Call,” out in 2024 on Amazon Prime Video. As a writer, La Salle is the author of several critically-acclaimed thrillers published by Sourcebooks—Laws of Depravity (2022), Laws of Wrath (2023), and Laws of Annihilation (2023). His episode of The Twilight Zone recently made WGA’s list of 101 Best Written TV Series. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

[Book.ishJulie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised to find a Laws Of Innocence prequel included at the end of Eriq La Salle's Laws Of Depravity, and I enjoyed the further character development and learning more about Joaquin's story. It made me cringe and want to stop listening, but that's the mark of a good author - especially in a novella!

[Star Gater · Rating 4 out of 5]

Telling on its own. I learned things that perhaps would have been helpful in Laws of Depravity, I'm not sure. I enjoyed both of my experiences equally, and have no regrets with reading the prequel second.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great set up for the first book.

[Jenene · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is great prequel to "Laws of Depravity". "10-year-old Joaquin adored and worshiped his mother, his grandfather, and God. His life was blissfully sheltered and filled with love until the day he was tragically robbed of his innocence. All of New York would soon discover that vengeance and justice sometimes come from the most horrific and unlikeliest of sources."

[Elle · Rating 5 out of 5]

*Laws of Innocence: The Prequel* is a concise, visceral short story that serves as the foundation for Eriq La Salle’s acclaimed *Martyr Maker* series. This prequel offers a haunting glimpse into the origins of the "Martyr Maker" killer.

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### **Overview**

The story centers on **Joaquin**, a 10-year-old boy whose world is defined by his devotion to his mother, his grandfather, and his faith. His life is shattered by a traumatic event that robs him of his innocence, setting the stage for a transformation from a victim into a source of terrifying "justice."

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#### ** The Evolution of a Killer**

What makes this prequel effective is its focus on the **humanity** behind the horror. It explores how extreme trauma can warp religious devotion into a lethal mission.

| **Series Reading Order** | **Title** |

| **Book 0 (Prequel)** | *Laws of Innocence* |
| **Book 1** | *Laws of Depravity* |
| **Book 2** | *Laws of Wrath* |
| **Book 3** | *Laws of Annihilation* |

[Maria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Backstory for a few of the characters in the main novel. This actually gave the characters more depth and explored one that isn’t really in book 1. This could have easily been incorporated into book 1 for better character development had some of the other superfluous description been left out of it.

[Cassandra Haywood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This explains what happened to one of the characters who committed suicide at age 11 and why he did it. What caused the serial killer in the Law of Depravity to make one of his victims the target. I enjoyed reading this after first reading Law of Depravity which is a page turner. Look forward to reading the next book in this series.

[Erica Collenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Laws of Innocence” is a great follow-up to “Laws of Depravity.” The details in LOI cleared up some things for me in LOD. A lot of the details from the novella could have been incorporated in LOD, especially since it is so short. But it is interesting to get a deeper look into Deggler’s head and the dynamic surrounding Romero, Elena, and especially Joaquin.

[Dawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO many things I could say about this whole series but one the main thing is Eriq did his thing. From the first book to the last I was engaged and anxious for me.

I loved the engagement and banter the three partners had in this series and how they grew from uncertainty to family.

The added underlying love story was an added plus and did not take away from the main plot of the story.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic prequel - but it's BEST read only AFTER you read LAWS OF DEPRAVITY.

[Amanda Reber · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was too short. Did not add anything to the Series.

[Karen Pratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Tangela]

This answered some of my questions I had about the Laws of Depravity book.

[Edshara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good set up for the first book. It was included with the audiobook, of the first book, in the series. I wish they would’ve put it at the beginning.

[Tiffiny · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m glad this was part of the Laws of Depravity, now after reading this everything falls into place and it makes sense. It was a very quick read, but definitely ready for book 3 and book 4!

[TheHomesteadReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

A snippet of the what happened to initiate several of the events in the first book. Could have easily worked this into the first book without needing to do it separately.

[Bryan Likes to Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

This would've been good as a prologue or included as part one within "Laws of Depravity"

[Nay Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good prequel to get to know more about Joaquin. I enjoyed it enough, and it gave more information that I felt was missing from my reading of the first book.

[Grampy · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Laws of Innocence: The Prequel" by Eriq La Salle is, just as it states in the title, the prequel to his block-buster debut novel "Laws of Depravity". "Laws of Innocence" actually explains very succinctly one of the tragedies and travesties of mal-used and abused authority featured in "Laws of Depravity". A word of warning: sensitive individuals (which I would hope most of us are) may tend to notice their eyes are leaking fluid at several different times while reading this story.

Eriq La Salle is an award-winning actor and director. He has now entered the competition to be recognized as an award-winning author, as well. However, he does not start at the bottom and work his way up. No, Eriq La Salle debuted right on top of the heap. His thoughtful, incisive delivery is the work of an artist. This prequel, and the subsequent episodes in his "Martyr Maker" series, will be on the NYT Bestseller list, if there is any justice in this world.

I suggest you start by reading "Laws of Depravity" before you read this prequel, although it won't ruin anything for you if you choose to read the prequel first. Soon you will also be able to read "Laws of Wrath", the second episode of his series; it is a phenomenal read, too, so remember to keep your eyes out for it.

I'm already anxiously awaiting Book #3 in this series. This is exceptionally good writing, and a riveting story.

[RoRolovesreading · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the prequel to LaSalle's Martyr Maker series. I wasn't aware this existed until I listened to the audio book for Laws of Depravity, which is book 1 of the series. It's included at the end. This will definitely give you more context about the killer and his motivations and Joachim's story.

The subject matter is difficult to read, but it shows us how these children are groomed and destroyed by the person who is supposed to be representing God.

[Melissa Farnsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good prequel to Laws of Depravity. Wish it were longer but it makes Laws of Depravity that much more interesting (and it's already a real page turner). Eriq has a knack for creating very interesting characters.

[Maxine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this first to get context.

[Winter Sophia Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Engaging, Intense, Emotional, True Page Turner!