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Color of Justice: A Novel of Suspense
Acclaimed author, screenwriter, and filmmaker Gary Hardwick has been called "the Elmore Leonard of black mystery writers" (Seattle Times). Now he returns with a shattering tale of suspense that revitalizes the crime novel with passion, truth, and an uncompromising insight into a world defined by money, power, and dangerous secrets.
Color of JusticeDetroit detective Danny Cavanaugh is a white Irish Catholic cop who has been raised in the dangerous bosom of the inner city. He speaks and acts with the unmistakable attitude of a black man, which has made him an enigma to his colleagues and a legend on the street. But lately Cavanaugh has come under fire: His alleged use of excessive force has placed him under the intense scrutiny of his department's superiors. He's been rocked by a devastating and suspicious personal tragedy. His live-in African American girlfriend is growing distant. And a horrific double homicide is threatening to push him over the edge.
An affluent black couple has been savagely tortured and executed in their upscale home. It is a monstrous crime whose cunning perpetrator seems to understand the intricacies of forensic science. The killings appear to be an isolated incident to most in Detroit's Special Crimes Unit, but Cavanaugh detects the troubling shade of something uglier. A second murder -the slaying of yet another prominent member of Detroit's African American elite-confirms his suspicions and plunges Cavanaugh into the treacherous underbelly of the city, a place where he has spent much of his life but is still unwelcome.
Cavanaugh discovers that there is something deadly and explosive infecting the Motor City and starts a full-throttle investigation. But a white cop with a checkered past doesn't win any friends asking embarrassing questions of the city's black power elite, and the enemies he makes threaten to destroy everything he still holds in his tenuous grasp. It will take all of his strength and ingenuity, both as a cop and a denizen of the street, for Danny Cavanaugh to stay alive in the wake of a terrifying crime wave and its shocking and unthinkable repercussions, as each harrowing revelation carries him closer to brutal truths about himself ... and uncovers a motive for murder as stark and sharply delineated as black and white.
Color of JusticeDetroit detective Danny Cavanaugh is a white Irish Catholic cop who has been raised in the dangerous bosom of the inner city. He speaks and acts with the unmistakable attitude of a black man, which has made him an enigma to his colleagues and a legend on the street. But lately Cavanaugh has come under fire: His alleged use of excessive force has placed him under the intense scrutiny of his department's superiors. He's been rocked by a devastating and suspicious personal tragedy. His live-in African American girlfriend is growing distant. And a horrific double homicide is threatening to push him over the edge.
An affluent black couple has been savagely tortured and executed in their upscale home. It is a monstrous crime whose cunning perpetrator seems to understand the intricacies of forensic science. The killings appear to be an isolated incident to most in Detroit's Special Crimes Unit, but Cavanaugh detects the troubling shade of something uglier. A second murder -the slaying of yet another prominent member of Detroit's African American elite-confirms his suspicions and plunges Cavanaugh into the treacherous underbelly of the city, a place where he has spent much of his life but is still unwelcome.
Cavanaugh discovers that there is something deadly and explosive infecting the Motor City and starts a full-throttle investigation. But a white cop with a checkered past doesn't win any friends asking embarrassing questions of the city's black power elite, and the enemies he makes threaten to destroy everything he still holds in his tenuous grasp. It will take all of his strength and ingenuity, both as a cop and a denizen of the street, for Danny Cavanaugh to stay alive in the wake of a terrifying crime wave and its shocking and unthinkable repercussions, as each harrowing revelation carries him closer to brutal truths about himself ... and uncovers a motive for murder as stark and sharply delineated as black and white.
- GenresFiction
304 pages, Hardcover
Published January 8, 2002
2 people are currently reading
91 people want to read
About the author
Gary Hardwick
29 books19 followersGary Hardwick is a television and screenwriter, film director and novelist.
Gary is the writer/director of the hit film The Brothers, starring Morris Chestnut, Shemar Moore and DL Hughley, and Deliver Us From Eva starring Gabrielle Union and Megan Good.
He was the production writer for the hit film Bring It On, The Perfect Match for Queen Latifah’s Flava Unit and Lionsgate Films and 2021’s, Christmas Unwrapped starring Amber Stevens for Lifetime Entertainment.
In 2022, Amazon Filmed Entertainment purchased Gary’s spec script, the HBCU set film, Stand Battle along with AGC Studios.
Gary’s first novel, Cold Medina, was a commercial and critical smash. His second novel, Double Dead was bought by Warner Brothers. His fourth novel, Color Of Justice was optioned by Universal Films for rapper Eminem. His seventh novel, the spy thriller, The Executioner’s Game was purchased by Sony Pictures as a starring vehicle for Academy Award winning actor, Jamie Foxx.
Gary’s HardBooks imprint publishes thrillers and science fiction novels under his pseudonym, a.a. clifford, whose titles include SexLife, Escape To Sex, The Enkntatum, Kifo and Kifo x Moto.
Gary has currently completed the sci fi novels, 4 and 5 under his science. They will be published in 2023 as part of his Numbers Trilogy.
Gary is the writer/director of the hit film The Brothers, starring Morris Chestnut, Shemar Moore and DL Hughley, and Deliver Us From Eva starring Gabrielle Union and Megan Good.
He was the production writer for the hit film Bring It On, The Perfect Match for Queen Latifah’s Flava Unit and Lionsgate Films and 2021’s, Christmas Unwrapped starring Amber Stevens for Lifetime Entertainment.
In 2022, Amazon Filmed Entertainment purchased Gary’s spec script, the HBCU set film, Stand Battle along with AGC Studios.
Gary’s first novel, Cold Medina, was a commercial and critical smash. His second novel, Double Dead was bought by Warner Brothers. His fourth novel, Color Of Justice was optioned by Universal Films for rapper Eminem. His seventh novel, the spy thriller, The Executioner’s Game was purchased by Sony Pictures as a starring vehicle for Academy Award winning actor, Jamie Foxx.
Gary’s HardBooks imprint publishes thrillers and science fiction novels under his pseudonym, a.a. clifford, whose titles include SexLife, Escape To Sex, The Enkntatum, Kifo and Kifo x Moto.
Gary has currently completed the sci fi novels, 4 and 5 under his science. They will be published in 2023 as part of his Numbers Trilogy.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 26, 2015
This is my second Gary Hardwick book and I'm thoroughly impressed. He has officially become one of my favorite authors. His writing compares favorably to Connelly, Sandford, Patterson, Child and Mosley, my other favorites. Don't hesitate to try his works of fiction.
March 7, 2010
Luther Green is a government assassin working for an agency known as E-1. Luther is called off his current mission from somewhere overseas and brought back to America. The director of E-1 personally assigns him to a new assignment--find and kill the man who trained Luther as an agent, Alex Deaver.
Although Luther accepts the task, he finds that the director's behavior and the assignment odd. Deaver leads Luther on a cat and mouse chase that takes the reluctant assassin back to hometown, Detroit. It places Luther at a disadvantage because he has family and friends living in the city. Deaver's knows this and is willing to place Luther's family in the line of fire if he has to.
Deaver's leaves clues for Luther to discover while they play their Executioner's Game. And soon Luther finds that everything at E-1 is not what it appears to be.
Gary Hardwick's 'The Executioner's Game' is an exciting, fast-pace read, with interesting characters and a government assassin with a style all his own. Well worth the read.
Although Luther accepts the task, he finds that the director's behavior and the assignment odd. Deaver leads Luther on a cat and mouse chase that takes the reluctant assassin back to hometown, Detroit. It places Luther at a disadvantage because he has family and friends living in the city. Deaver's knows this and is willing to place Luther's family in the line of fire if he has to.
Deaver's leaves clues for Luther to discover while they play their Executioner's Game. And soon Luther finds that everything at E-1 is not what it appears to be.
Gary Hardwick's 'The Executioner's Game' is an exciting, fast-pace read, with interesting characters and a government assassin with a style all his own. Well worth the read.
December 21, 2021
District Attorney Jesse King is caught in the politics of the city of Detroit. It's tolerable until he catches the case of the murder of the Mayor. His boss is sure that Mrs. Mayor did it. Jesse is pretty sure that isn't true but it's fighting an uphill battle. Pretty soon he has to cross over the legal line to get to the truth and save his own skin. This is another excellent story by Hardwick.
June 3, 2015
Excellence!!
dnf
August 10, 2017DNF This was actually a re-read, but I didn't finish because this time around it seemed slow and bland.
November 24, 2018
Not a very good crime/thriller. Kind of preachy too with Mr. Hardwick’s political bias.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews