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The Monsters and Men Trilogy #2
Destruction of Justice
An out of practice wizard-turned-investigator must protect another life in this urban fantasy mystery for fans of Jim Butcher and Benedict Jacka.
Janzen Robinson is no longer a man torn between two worlds, having decided to come off the bench and dive head first into Cleveland's magical underworld. With his new partner and perpetually exhausted friend Grove, he's just starting to get a handle on all the supernatural happenings when disaster shows up at their doorstep and doesn't even have the decency to knock.
Gale stands accused of disrupting the Balance, and Janzen finds himself abruptly tasked with finding out who's behind the accusation. It's a charge as serious as it is vague, at least to Janzen, but that doesn't stop the two governing bodies of the In-Between from showing up in his hometown and unleashing a Blind Judge to exact justice.
The House of Unet and the Tribe of Masarou don't share Janzen's sense of humor, nor do they have anything in the way of patience or lenience when it comes to dealing with infractions of their laws. Janzen's already impossible job only gets harder when he finds the fingerprints of old enemies all over this case.
Now, with a wanted fugitive hiding in their makeshift headquarters and the entire magic community painting a target on his back, Janzen and Grove must step outside their normal alliances for help while attempting to stay ahead of the brutal enforcers hot on their trail in their attempt to get to the bottom of who it was that framed Gale....
Janzen Robinson is no longer a man torn between two worlds, having decided to come off the bench and dive head first into Cleveland's magical underworld. With his new partner and perpetually exhausted friend Grove, he's just starting to get a handle on all the supernatural happenings when disaster shows up at their doorstep and doesn't even have the decency to knock.
Gale stands accused of disrupting the Balance, and Janzen finds himself abruptly tasked with finding out who's behind the accusation. It's a charge as serious as it is vague, at least to Janzen, but that doesn't stop the two governing bodies of the In-Between from showing up in his hometown and unleashing a Blind Judge to exact justice.
The House of Unet and the Tribe of Masarou don't share Janzen's sense of humor, nor do they have anything in the way of patience or lenience when it comes to dealing with infractions of their laws. Janzen's already impossible job only gets harder when he finds the fingerprints of old enemies all over this case.
Now, with a wanted fugitive hiding in their makeshift headquarters and the entire magic community painting a target on his back, Janzen and Grove must step outside their normal alliances for help while attempting to stay ahead of the brutal enforcers hot on their trail in their attempt to get to the bottom of who it was that framed Gale....
300 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 28, 2019
22 people are currently reading
596 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 26, 2019
DESTRUCTION OF JUSTICE (The Monsters And Men Trilogy Book 2) by Lawrence Davis is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. I re-read book one so the characters would be fresh in my mind. ( Re-reading is something I very rarely do.) I actually enjoyed the first book better the second time, no clue why!
This book was totally a wild ride! There were so many monsters, creatures, magic, God's with powerful minions, unique characters, bada## characters, and a sweet pitbull! The action seemed nonstop! I felt like I grabbed a tiger's tail and couldn't let go! Such fun! Witty, clever, full of action but friendships and loyalty too! I felt like I was in the battle too it was so descriptive! Loved it! Totally awesome!
This book was totally a wild ride! There were so many monsters, creatures, magic, God's with powerful minions, unique characters, bada## characters, and a sweet pitbull! The action seemed nonstop! I felt like I grabbed a tiger's tail and couldn't let go! Such fun! Witty, clever, full of action but friendships and loyalty too! I felt like I was in the battle too it was so descriptive! Loved it! Totally awesome!
October 17, 2019
I really liked the first book in the series. I had some trouble staying focused while reading this, but that may well not be the book, but my general reading mood. High action from the very start, a great team of quirky misfits and a snarky main character. I think the monsters in these books are very creative and original.
June 17, 2019
Initial Rating: Recommended. (How I Rate Books)
Here's the TL;DR for my review (SPOILERS!):
Pros
-Good-to-Great characters
-Fun plot
-Solid Urban Fantasy
-Nice twists and turns
Mixed
-This is a very Urban Fantasy book, in the sense that it stars a protagonist and a cast of his wacky and cool friends as they go on an adventure trying to save one of their friends from the magic cops.
Cons
-If you want to nitpick the protagonist was a wee bit too Harry Dresden-ish for my taste. Now to be fair to Janzen, he's not so much a copy of Dresden. He takes-inspiration-from Dresden. I would have personally liked it if the author played up the 'emotional trauma' angle of Janzen as opposed to the 'snarky-but-nice' angle of Janzen.
I'm keeping this review short-ish because my hands are in pain and I don't want to type.
I got a copy of this review of Netgalley for free for the purpose of review, but I liked it enough that I bought a copy of it anyway.
This is the quintessence of the Hardboiled Detective Urban Fantasy genre. The book begins with Janzen taking in a friend of him from the cold and hiding her from people out to kill her. He has to enlist friends old and new in order to save her life and solve some interdimensional politics. While this isn't the best Urban Fantasy I've ever read, it is a solidly fun time and an improvement over the first in the series. I can recommend it if you're a fan of the sub-genre and you're open to reading a good meat-and-potatoes urban fantasy.
Here's the TL;DR for my review (SPOILERS!):
Pros
-Good-to-Great characters
-Fun plot
-Solid Urban Fantasy
-Nice twists and turns
Mixed
-This is a very Urban Fantasy book, in the sense that it stars a protagonist and a cast of his wacky and cool friends as they go on an adventure trying to save one of their friends from the magic cops.
Cons
-If you want to nitpick the protagonist was a wee bit too Harry Dresden-ish for my taste. Now to be fair to Janzen, he's not so much a copy of Dresden. He takes-inspiration-from Dresden. I would have personally liked it if the author played up the 'emotional trauma' angle of Janzen as opposed to the 'snarky-but-nice' angle of Janzen.
I'm keeping this review short-ish because my hands are in pain and I don't want to type.
I got a copy of this review of Netgalley for free for the purpose of review, but I liked it enough that I bought a copy of it anyway.
This is the quintessence of the Hardboiled Detective Urban Fantasy genre. The book begins with Janzen taking in a friend of him from the cold and hiding her from people out to kill her. He has to enlist friends old and new in order to save her life and solve some interdimensional politics. While this isn't the best Urban Fantasy I've ever read, it is a solidly fun time and an improvement over the first in the series. I can recommend it if you're a fan of the sub-genre and you're open to reading a good meat-and-potatoes urban fantasy.
May 27, 2019
Received ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This one starts right smack dab in the middle of a car chase with a monster snapping at the heels of some of the heroes of the story.
That's all well and good, but you read a few pages and you might get a bit confused about Johnny B, described as an elf who I gather is a musician because he's referred to as a a goth, a karaoke singer, and a punk rock elf in different paragraphs. Now, I think there's not much overlap in those three descriptors unless you're what a decade ago was called Emo (which only shares traits with punk and goth in the most superficial aspects, mostly having to do with fashion), so I have to say I struggle to buy an elf with that aesthetic.
Then he proceeds to sing what's described as a slowed-down version of Jon Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory." Okay, without even getting into the why's and wherefore's regarding the unlikelihood of a punk (or goth) singing this, the original version of that song has a pretty slow vocal melody, so I don't know what was supposed to be happening here.
Then a single paragraph mentions twice that Johnny B is straddling his friend (lover?) when they fall out of the truck that's being torn to metal confetti by the monster, so I'd say a bit more editing would've been to the text's benefit.
There's stuff like that every few pages, like the next chapter when the p.o.v. character meets the guy who designed a video game he's currently playing through for the third time and still for some reason starts to ask him how to beat a certain enemy before being interrupted. Granted, the game may be a sandbox and the enemy in question part of an optional side-quest, but still, it seems sloppy to imply that he's previously finished the game twice and still have him ask how to beat a certain part, which by context would seem refers to a boss fight. In any case, that's a lot of rationalization from the reader's part in order to make a throwaway paragraph make sense.
I guess I misjudged the description, because this is not what I was expecting. The ebook file is very professional looking as far as formatting and everything is concerned, but so far the text feels a little amateurish.
The story itself is fun enough, though a bit too reminiscent of stuff like the Dresden Files and the Quincy Harker stories by John G. Hartness. I didn't read the previous volume, so I don't know how it compares, but it's a good yarn with some logic and continuity issues.
This one starts right smack dab in the middle of a car chase with a monster snapping at the heels of some of the heroes of the story.
That's all well and good, but you read a few pages and you might get a bit confused about Johnny B, described as an elf who I gather is a musician because he's referred to as a a goth, a karaoke singer, and a punk rock elf in different paragraphs. Now, I think there's not much overlap in those three descriptors unless you're what a decade ago was called Emo (which only shares traits with punk and goth in the most superficial aspects, mostly having to do with fashion), so I have to say I struggle to buy an elf with that aesthetic.
Then he proceeds to sing what's described as a slowed-down version of Jon Bon Jovi's "Blaze of Glory." Okay, without even getting into the why's and wherefore's regarding the unlikelihood of a punk (or goth) singing this, the original version of that song has a pretty slow vocal melody, so I don't know what was supposed to be happening here.
Then a single paragraph mentions twice that Johnny B is straddling his friend (lover?) when they fall out of the truck that's being torn to metal confetti by the monster, so I'd say a bit more editing would've been to the text's benefit.
There's stuff like that every few pages, like the next chapter when the p.o.v. character meets the guy who designed a video game he's currently playing through for the third time and still for some reason starts to ask him how to beat a certain enemy before being interrupted. Granted, the game may be a sandbox and the enemy in question part of an optional side-quest, but still, it seems sloppy to imply that he's previously finished the game twice and still have him ask how to beat a certain part, which by context would seem refers to a boss fight. In any case, that's a lot of rationalization from the reader's part in order to make a throwaway paragraph make sense.
I guess I misjudged the description, because this is not what I was expecting. The ebook file is very professional looking as far as formatting and everything is concerned, but so far the text feels a little amateurish.
The story itself is fun enough, though a bit too reminiscent of stuff like the Dresden Files and the Quincy Harker stories by John G. Hartness. I didn't read the previous volume, so I don't know how it compares, but it's a good yarn with some logic and continuity issues.
June 16, 2019
If you're an old school Terminator fan like me, you probably remember Kyle Reese's iconic speech to Sarah Connor about the movie's titular menace: "It can’t be bargained with. It can’t be reasoned with. It doesn’t feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead." This would have been an apt tagline for Davis' follow-up entry to his Monsters and Men series, where he deftly ups the stakes and the tension by putting his heroes (including a thankfully returning Grove) up against an adversary that is somehow more terrifying not only despite but *because* it is less malicious than the monster from Blunt Force Magic. Here Janzen is not facing down a vile internalization of his own inner demons, but rather an implacable manifestation of his and his compatriots own actions. It's a very natural shift in tone that deftly serves Davis' evolving character development and worldbuilding.
As before, Davis' neo-noirish first person stream of conscious lends itself well to a brisk read, but also as before I can't help thinking that the writing could have been better served by a more committed editor or a more robust publishing house. Even so, if urban fantasy or horror noir pique your genre interests, you would be missing out if you didn't give this series a chance.
As before, Davis' neo-noirish first person stream of conscious lends itself well to a brisk read, but also as before I can't help thinking that the writing could have been better served by a more committed editor or a more robust publishing house. Even so, if urban fantasy or horror noir pique your genre interests, you would be missing out if you didn't give this series a chance.
April 20, 2020
This novel is the second volume of The Monsters and Men trilogy. As with Davis’ first novel, "Blunt Force Magic," this sequel blends action and comedy into a witty and adventurous read. Set in the magical under city of Cleveland, Ohio, the novel connects magic with the hard streets of a metropolis.. The story moves with the quick pace of an action film, but also takes the time needed to delve into the characters who are all at once, charming, funny, unique, and at their core, a vibrant representation of the best and worst of humanity.
Davis does an excellent job of growing Janzen’s character and relationships to the other characters through poignant moments of realization and understanding. As Janzen allows himself to get to know those who have chosen to help him, the audience is also shown that people are not always as they first seem—good and bad. "Destruction of Justice" is an exciting and entertaining read for fans of urban fantasy, comedic banter, and those who enjoy humanity in their magical tales.
For a full review, please visit https://www.aesantana.com/post/book-r...
Davis does an excellent job of growing Janzen’s character and relationships to the other characters through poignant moments of realization and understanding. As Janzen allows himself to get to know those who have chosen to help him, the audience is also shown that people are not always as they first seem—good and bad. "Destruction of Justice" is an exciting and entertaining read for fans of urban fantasy, comedic banter, and those who enjoy humanity in their magical tales.
For a full review, please visit https://www.aesantana.com/post/book-r...
February 14, 2023
I received this book from a giveaway. As mentioned in the book 1 review, I started reading this before the first and it stands on its own just fine, but is even better with context.
I loved this. A battle and magic filled book where the underdog takes on challenges above his ability may not be for everyone, but I adore it. It's refreshing to read something where the hero isn't 15 and full of untapped potential that just manifests when needed. I have nothing against those books, but the grittiness is a welcome change. Janzen's abrasiveness may not be for everyone, too, but again, it was fine by me. Can't wait for the finale.
I loved this. A battle and magic filled book where the underdog takes on challenges above his ability may not be for everyone, but I adore it. It's refreshing to read something where the hero isn't 15 and full of untapped potential that just manifests when needed. I have nothing against those books, but the grittiness is a welcome change. Janzen's abrasiveness may not be for everyone, too, but again, it was fine by me. Can't wait for the finale.
May 11, 2021
Worth reading
Nice character development fast and enjoyable read good substitute till more dresden becomes available doing second Sandman slim need a break after mortality bridge
Nice character development fast and enjoyable read good substitute till more dresden becomes available doing second Sandman slim need a break after mortality bridge
March 2, 2023
Brilliantly told
Davis writes a fantastical dark mysterious tale with Destruction of Justice. I haven't read anything by this author before. This book, well, I enjoyed it so much, that I have now followed the author and looked for more books to read. This book is part of the Monsters & Men series, and this is volume two. I have to go and read book one, and there is a third book coming this year. After reading this, I also learned a lot about the author, and his tours in Iraq. His writing is dramatic and very detailed, while being able to keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat, and in this case, my seat. Janzen is a former wizard, and now an investigator, who must also be a protector. It's a very interesting supernatural story, with a deep and intense storyline, that brings the entire story to life. I really enjoy Janzen, and his realistic manner, and how he drives the story. This is one of those books that grabs you from the start and pulls you in. Lawrence Davis has a great imagination. The story brings in the believable, even if almost impossible. Janzen is determined and tenacious and determined to get the job done no matter what. Destruction of Justice is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review.
Davis writes a fantastical dark mysterious tale with Destruction of Justice. I haven't read anything by this author before. This book, well, I enjoyed it so much, that I have now followed the author and looked for more books to read. This book is part of the Monsters & Men series, and this is volume two. I have to go and read book one, and there is a third book coming this year. After reading this, I also learned a lot about the author, and his tours in Iraq. His writing is dramatic and very detailed, while being able to keep the reader on the edge of his or her seat, and in this case, my seat. Janzen is a former wizard, and now an investigator, who must also be a protector. It's a very interesting supernatural story, with a deep and intense storyline, that brings the entire story to life. I really enjoy Janzen, and his realistic manner, and how he drives the story. This is one of those books that grabs you from the start and pulls you in. Lawrence Davis has a great imagination. The story brings in the believable, even if almost impossible. Janzen is determined and tenacious and determined to get the job done no matter what. Destruction of Justice is a definite recommendation by Amy's Bookshelf Reviews. I read this book to give my unbiased and honest review. Amy's Bookshelf Reviews recommends that anyone who reads this book, to also write a review.
January 29, 2023
This was not my normal read!!! BUT!!!.... I can't express just how much I enjoyed this book! The writing the characters the plot... every last word. I would have to say that I highly recommend this book! Also there is a first book to this so it's off to book 1 for me, but while reading this one I didn't feel lost not one bit and felt this can be read as a stand alone!
September 17, 2024
Sometimes, it doesn’t matter if the story has some (not all) predictable parts because you’re rooting for those things to happen. This story makes you cheer for the heroes. I’d give a small demerit for the cliffhanger epilogue, but the story is still charming.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews