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Redemption
Set a few months or a few years from now, novelist Lee Jackson’s portrait of America is a very familiar one. People carry their ID cards wherever they go. Gas is expensive and the value of the dollar has dropped so far that even rural areas like Redemption, Montana, have thriving black markets, barter economies, and high unemployment. But otherwise, life in the small town goes on day by day. And terrorism is a constant worry across the country, even in a town three thousand miles from New York City with a population of only three hundred.
Ben Trinity hitchhikes into Redemption during a snowstorm with a story about a parole-mandated job on the West Coast that he’s never going to make. His story earns him a job as a handyman at Carlene Ryton’s roadside diner and a place to sleep, and once he clears it with Homeland Security—the top law enforcement agency in the United States—he tries to settle in as best he can. But hiding in plain sight is no easy task for a convict, much less a terrorist, which is what the government says Ben is, and it’s only a matter of time before the locals find out who he is. Never tried, let alone convicted—due process has been suspended in the United States—Ben contends that he is innocent, and he may be, but does he have enough strength and conviction left to prove it? Lee Jackson’s engaging thriller is both a powerful cautionary tale and a mesmerizing portrait of an unlikely hero.
Ben Trinity hitchhikes into Redemption during a snowstorm with a story about a parole-mandated job on the West Coast that he’s never going to make. His story earns him a job as a handyman at Carlene Ryton’s roadside diner and a place to sleep, and once he clears it with Homeland Security—the top law enforcement agency in the United States—he tries to settle in as best he can. But hiding in plain sight is no easy task for a convict, much less a terrorist, which is what the government says Ben is, and it’s only a matter of time before the locals find out who he is. Never tried, let alone convicted—due process has been suspended in the United States—Ben contends that he is innocent, and he may be, but does he have enough strength and conviction left to prove it? Lee Jackson’s engaging thriller is both a powerful cautionary tale and a mesmerizing portrait of an unlikely hero.
- GenresFiction
288 pages, Hardcover
First published October 16, 2007
33 people want to read
About the author
Lee Jackson
122 books48 followersL.M. JACKSON lives in London with his partner Joanne. His first book, London Dust, was shortlisted for the Ellis Peters Historical Dagger Award. He is fascinated by the social history of Victorian London and spends much of his time on the ongoing development of his website.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
May 6, 2008
In a post-9/11 world where the PATRIOT ACT and fear have allowed infringement on human rights, Ben is detained and "convicted" (never actually saw a trial) of funding terrorist activities.
After three years, he's been released as part of a new parole program and ends up stranded in a small town in Montana while on the way to a work-release job in Oregon. He can't figure out why he's been allowed to stay there and take a job as handyman at the local diner. He's been tattooed and microchipped. When his history is uncovered, he faces retribution from a local cop whose ex-wife and ex-mother-in-law run the diner.
Expecting to be tossed back in detention for any small infraction, Ben figures they have a reason for him to be there, though he doesn't know what it is. Turns out he's there to flush out an ex-CIA agent who isn't happy with how the world has changed since his days. He is looking to help Ben and expose the actions the States have taken against their own citizens.
Things don't go quite as planned, but a media blitz regarding proof that Ben is innocent and the fact that the US government made an accident look like a terrorist attack to bolster support for its activities help to stir the American people to look a little more closely at who is running their government and just what they are doing with the power given them.
It's a thought provoking book because it's so easy to see our government doing this. They probably do already, but who knows or cares.
After three years, he's been released as part of a new parole program and ends up stranded in a small town in Montana while on the way to a work-release job in Oregon. He can't figure out why he's been allowed to stay there and take a job as handyman at the local diner. He's been tattooed and microchipped. When his history is uncovered, he faces retribution from a local cop whose ex-wife and ex-mother-in-law run the diner.
Expecting to be tossed back in detention for any small infraction, Ben figures they have a reason for him to be there, though he doesn't know what it is. Turns out he's there to flush out an ex-CIA agent who isn't happy with how the world has changed since his days. He is looking to help Ben and expose the actions the States have taken against their own citizens.
Things don't go quite as planned, but a media blitz regarding proof that Ben is innocent and the fact that the US government made an accident look like a terrorist attack to bolster support for its activities help to stir the American people to look a little more closely at who is running their government and just what they are doing with the power given them.
It's a thought provoking book because it's so easy to see our government doing this. They probably do already, but who knows or cares.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 20, 2010
Benedictus Xavier Trinity is stranded in a snowstorm in northern Montana and will not make it to his assigned job in Spokane, Washington. He dials an unlisted number he knows by heart, without using coins and recites, “Four, seven, five, eight, three, two, zero, five.” He listens as the computer keys tap, pinpointing his location. He is way off the grid, too close to Canada and really in trouble. Ben has just spent three years in a secret prison and has been released back into society as bait to catch his co-conspirators. But is he a terrorist? How do you define terrorism? Set in the near future, this debut thriller generates a lot of questions regarding how the government’s course of action on domestic terrorism. Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Draw your own conclusions.
January 13, 2010
Can a man who had been accused of one of the most horrible of crimes, ever find peace and forgiveness?
Even if he proves he is totally innocent?
Redemption as a great plot, some very memorable characters, and a kind of reverse plot twist at the end that leaves you quite satisfied with the story, and with the fact that there may still be Redemption available.
Occasionally a bit too preachy toward the whole out-of-control government conspiracy lime of propaganda.
Even if he proves he is totally innocent?
Redemption as a great plot, some very memorable characters, and a kind of reverse plot twist at the end that leaves you quite satisfied with the story, and with the fact that there may still be Redemption available.
Occasionally a bit too preachy toward the whole out-of-control government conspiracy lime of propaganda.
September 2, 2010
This book had lots of promise, but the author got sucked into blaming all of America's woes, real or imagined, on Republicans. Only the Democrats could save America. Sorry, but taking a good story idea - security is not a good trade for personal rights and freedoms - and mangling it because you don't have enough maturity to realize it's not about politics makes for a mediocre book, not a five-star book.
July 9, 2008
This book completely captivated me. The chain of events in the novel seemed eerily plausible to me, as if the idea of a corrupt government using the threat of terrorism to subdue it's citizens was not as far-fetched as I once thought. I literally could not put it down.
September 4, 2013
I found it easy to read and easy to get absorbed in. It was a good story which also had a strong theme.
I won't repeat the blurb, but I found it believable and thought provoking. I also loved the descriptions of the locations.
I won't repeat the blurb, but I found it believable and thought provoking. I also loved the descriptions of the locations.
May 27, 2014
A richly rewarding novel about "redemption" while providing clever political commentary subtext regarding government abuse and mass paranoia.
April 26, 2008
this author really made me feel for this character even tho he was the "bad guy." I really empathized with him and his pain even when I thot the worst.
February 25, 2010
A fast read about a man charged with being a terrorist after 9-11. Scared me to think about what government might be capable of doing. A story of redemption and a life after horror.
May 19, 2015
Very good thriller. All-too-possible story in a post 9/11 America. Read it in a day and a half! Loved the characters, the setting, the plot and the ending. Recommend!
March 25, 2017
Great read! Scary how much it resembled the current tone of the country. I was rooting for Ben the whole way!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews