Justice Served
by Shells Walter
Cover art by Jerrod Brown
James wanted everything. A Law career, a wife of his current sweetheart, and just to be normal. Wishes do come true, so to speak.
James gets his Law degree, and marries his wife with a catch, her father-in-law who just happens to be the devil.
With a plea from his wife, James takes on a case defending the Devil agaisnt contracts by the souls he has taken in some different type of court he's never seen. And with another catch that if he loses the Devil grabs his soul.
He loses the case
Not only is his soul lost to the Devil, but now he has become the Devil's personal attorney and his first case becomes a battle of morals, adventure and dealing with one of the most noted serial killers of all time!
Review by John "JAM" Arthur Miller
Justice Served surprised me.
Why?
Because when you read it, you think you know what to expect. And usually, knowing what to expect kills interest in books and movies. However, there are SOME works that belie the reader's expectations, such as the movie Jaws. In that movie, the audience hears the music telling them the shark nears hapless swimmers in the water. They know what's going to happen, still they're excited; heartbeats speed and breaths are collectively held.
Then, abruptly, a massive dorsal fin shoots from the water. It makes a bee line for the swimmers. That's when the actors perceive the threat. Screaming ensues, as does a lot of splashing (perfect for sharks). Despite the audience knowing the movie is about a shark attack, despite being told repeatedly by the same creepy music that the shark is about to make an appearance, audiences don't care, because the payoff is the appearance of the shark. It frightens them, sometimes to the point of them never entering the water.
In Shells Walter's book "Justice Served," it is similar in that by reading what it's about, you know what the book will entail:
James takes on a case to defend the Devil against contracts by the souls he has claimed. This has been accomplished in a manner most befitting the Devil, hinting of the Devil's nefarious yet entertaining means. To further bring out the rules of the Devil's playground (and the universe seems to be the Devil's playground), the condition of James' contractual service with the Devil is that if he loses the case he forfeits his soul.
Most writers would have had him remain victorious, winning case after case like an evil Perry Mason, later coming to grips with the moral ramifications of his actions. Instead, Shells has James lose the case.
Story over, right?
On the contrary, the story is just heating up. Now James works as the Devil's personal attorney. James' first case involves a famous serial killer we all know, an infamous persona whose name has permeated horror throughout the ages.
With (most of) this information I've just described gleamed from the book's description at the website, the reader can deduce that it's about law and Hell, two themes some say have become overdone clichéd subjects. Why write about it when TV and John Grisham capitalize on the law part? And horror writers have always delved into Hell? But the combination of both themes in one book makes this an interesting winner. Although the reader knows James will be working with the Devil and that there will be nefarious and underhanded scheming, the combination of that scheming (combined with the manner in which the Devil insists on James running business) is not overdone. The Devil and this new Court James has never seen adds flavorful spice to the tale without overused or clichéd themes. Surprise comes when realizing that James seems to be a good fit for Hell and its problems.
It hooked me early and surprised me like the movie Jaws surprised me. When I saw Jaws, I knew it was about a shark attacking swimmers. Big deal, right? Likewise, when I read the description of this book, I figured I knew what to expect. I'm sure a lot of readers can ascertain that Justice Served book consists of besides what is mentioned above. But, like Jaws, the payoff is, while turning the pages, it's almost as if you can hear the bells of Hell chiming in the background like the soundtrack to Jaws. You think you know what's coming, and that in and of itself is the payoff. But enough surprise twists will shock you, possibly scaring you from courtrooms.
Justice Served by Shells Walter can be found at Sonar4 Publications
