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Make it Right

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"Jackson's debut novel blends elements of suspense and legal drama to create an action-packed, fast-paced crime thriller."--Publishers Weekly

What Lurks Inside Is about to Crawl Out...

Donovan Montgomery is Chicago’s top forensic psychiatrist, an expert on behavioral deviance whose belief in law and order and convincing testimony has locked up the city’s worst criminals.

With her latest case, the stakes have never been higher. Violence and racial tensions are boiling over in the Windy City. A neo-Nazi is running for congress, while a white supremacist is being tried for a triple murder. It will be Donovan’s job to derail the candidate and convict the killer. But things are about to go horribly wrong with the city, the campaign, the trial, and with Donovan herself.

What nobody could have foreseen is that Donovan harbors a terrifying secret that has long been suppressed, buried so deep inside her even she’s not aware of it. But with a mind of its own, this thing has been clawing its way out. Unleashed, it is a frightening side of Donovan she never knew existed.

Her life quickly takes a dizzying twist; her pursuit of truth spins into a personal vendetta. Donovan plunges into the city’s underworld, an asylum of corruption, conspiracies, and madness—just the kind of chaos for this dangerously changed–Donovan to make right with her newfound brand of justice.

Chicago and Donovan will never be the same again.

What People Are Saying About Make It Right

“Jackson’s debut novel blends elements of suspense and legal drama to create an action-packed, fast-paced crime thriller.Readers will be guessing until the end. Fans of true crime and courtroom legal dramas will delight in this tale of vigilante justice. Great for fans of: Walter Mosley, Kathy Reichs’s Temperance Brennan series.”—Publishers Weekly

“A gripping tale with more than one mystery at its core.”—Maya Kaathryn Bohnhoff, New York Times best-selling author.

“A malevolent, intricate tale of murder and madness.”—David Niall Wilson, USA Today best-selling author.

About the Author

Dr. Willie Mae Jackson is an adult and forensic psychiatrist in Chicago. She is a mentor at a number of medical schools and universities, and is an advocate to improve access to mental health services and reduce the stigma associated with mental illness.

Instagram: @dr_willie_mae
Facebook: Drwilliemae

254 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 27, 2020

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About the author

Willie Mae Jackson MD MA

1 book1 follower

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Profile Image for Anne Secher.
344 reviews47 followers
August 28, 2021
*I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.*
2.5

I initially liked the MC, who's a forensic psychiatrist working on a special murder case. She's the only character we get to know properly and the rest of them are underdeveloped; even the culprit, whose motives are not really understood.

The story makes sense but, as a forensic psychologist, I got to feel disgusted by our MC and her actions, so that and the lack of depth on the development of other characters produced a lack of interest in the dialogues and the general plot. I was just expecting for some kind of plot that never arrived.

It is a shame, because I like the writing style and thought it had potential to be a great thriller/mystery.
4,011 reviews15 followers
April 24, 2021
( Format : Audiobook )
"Not like it is in the moveies, is it?"
Well, this is one racial tension, action packed, high body count story, with some 37 deaths in the first few pages, no, sorry, 38: another murder victim, shot in the back of the head, shortly dies without regaining consciousness. And I'm still not sure about the three beads in the freezer.
Donovan Montgomery is a forensic psychologist who, quite frankly, is in serious need of therapy herself given her 'darker compulsions'. With an unblemished history of 25 successful court convictions to her credit and a recently published book selling well, her reputation is rocked when what should have been a straightforward murder case of four black youths is overturned by the jury and the killer, a white neo-nazi, walks. What went wrong? Montgomery determines to find out and make it right in her own way.

This is an easy read, the words skimming past quickly and slickly, with hardly a policeman in sight, other than in an occasional cameo role. But loads of fear, violence and hate. Remind me never to visit Chicago! There was a lot of character development of the main character, Montgomery, who dominates throughout and was, for this teader, unsympathetic, but other readers might well find her a welcome protagonist. For me, she turned the book which had started so promisingly into almost a Gothic City comic hero story. Narrator, Gina Marie Davies was good: a voice very pleasant on the ear, good modulation and differentiation of character voices, but she seemed to speed up s the book reached it's climax and I found myself almost memorized by the fast torrent of words. Or perhaps I was just losing interest.

My thanks to the rights holder of Make It Right, who, at my request freely gifted me with a complimentary copy via Audiobook Boom. I did enjoy the earlier parts of this story with it's potential to be a rattling good thriller, but found the latter half, so dominated by Montgomery, not to my liking, though I suspect many readers would find her a great character to cheer on in her antics. It is not a book that I would recommend but it is a tad unusual, fast paced and easy to read.
Profile Image for Kelvin Reed.
Author 11 books15 followers
May 6, 2021
"Make It Right" (2020) by Willie Mae Jackson, M.D., is an interesting story about female forensic psychiatrist Dr. Donovan Montgomery’s quest to dispense justice after a white supremacist is put on trial for murder. The story is engaging but pushed my suspend disbelief meter way too far. I listened to the audiobook, well narrated by Gina Marie Davies, but the Kindle version lacks the basic elements of paragraph formatting. Still, the story held my interest. Mildly recommended. At my request, I was given this free audiobook and have voluntarily left this review.

Kelvin L. Reed
Author of "Guilt by Association"
Profile Image for Kerry-Anne.
70 reviews3 followers
April 24, 2021
All I can say here is that if you don't listen to / read this book, you will be missing out on the start of what I suspect is going to be a wonderful career for this author.
Everything in this book is very well thought out, very well written, and very well narrated. I seriously hope that the characters in this book will be back in future because I loved reading them and I really want more!

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review
Profile Image for Raylene Cheatwood.
13 reviews
January 18, 2024
What a ride! I am an ER nurse and one of my doctor friends is in our book club and an avid reader and we always share book recommendations...he told me about a colleague of his book. I was BLESSED with a copy and it sucked me in! I literally read it in one day! This debut book has a lot of twists, fantastic writing styles, and intrigue! Do yourself a favor and read this book! The second book of this trilogy will be released on Feb 14...what a great self Valentines present! Enjoy!
Profile Image for Thomas Muriuki.
Author 1 book13 followers
December 7, 2020
A Captivating Crime Thriller!

Wow!
Make it right is truly a pleasure read that delivers on every element a top-notch crime thriller can offer.

Blended with true-to-life characters, a patentable plot line and fluent language, it's hard not to love it.

A true page turner of undeniable quality.

Can't recommend it enough!
583 reviews4 followers
May 9, 2021
A neo-nazi goes to trial in Chicago for killing four black men in "self defense," Thirty-two prople were recently killed in one shooting spree.. Then the jury finds the neo-nazi not guilty. The star witness for the prosecution vows to seek justice.
Profile Image for Debra H. Wruble.
419 reviews9 followers
May 10, 2021
Intense

Well written story about vigilante justice against an Aryan Brotherhood group in Chicago. This group thought the rules didn't apply to them, but good will triumph over evil.Great read
759 reviews6 followers
July 8, 2021
Very different, I loved the style of the Doctor. Good book for first time authoress.
51 reviews
May 17, 2024
Loved it!!

A beautiful, intelligent and brave black woman kicking major butt!! This really needs to be a movie!! The doctor takes no mercy and no prisoners!! Loved it!!
Profile Image for David Morgan.
936 reviews25 followers
December 6, 2020
Donovan Montgomery is one no nonsense, badass forensic psychiatrist!
When an assassin slaughters 32 people in Daley Plaza and Donovan's attempt at getting a neo-Nazi convicted goes off the rails, she's tasked with finding the shooter and fixing the problem of a white supremacists killer loose on the streets of Chicago. Add to that the fact that another neo-Nazi is running for congress and you've got a city filled with racial tensions that must be addressed.
Who better than Donovan herself to step up with her special brand of vigilantism to solve the problems.
Acton packed and suspensefull, this concisely written novel had me invested from start to finish. Easily read in one sitting, I found myself rooting for the diminutive but deadly Donovan as she searches the city's underbelly for her targets.
If your looking for a quick read featuring a strong female protagonist then look no further than this entertaining little gem.
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Thank you to the author for the gifted copy for me to read, review and enjoy.
Author 25 books47 followers
December 23, 2020
I really enjoyed reading Make It Right by Willie Mae Jackson. The hook was excellent, and I was quickly building a rapport with the shooter just to be tossed to a scene of random shooting and law enforcement. I had to keep reading to piece it together!

I enjoyed the internal dialog “Let’s just tuck that in the ‘What the fuck’ file and keep on moving.” (p113). However, this realistic dialog (both internal and external) deem this book inappropriate for classrooms. In fact, the storyline itself and subject matter make it more appropriate for adults. The callous level of violence, make this story adult-themed, the sexuality might make a few readers uncomfortable, but there are not many sexual scenes and they are not that explicit - m-for mature but not x-rated.

The ending was perfect. In fact, I turned the page expecting more and laughed right out loud, that it was over. The storyline did wrap up well, but the characters' story can easily continue into a new book. I consider this a perfect ending. I look forward to reading more of Dr. Montgomery’s cases!
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews

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