The Policewoman
The Policewoman book cover

The Policewoman

Hardcover – September 29, 2017

by
Price
$39.99
Format
Hardcover
Pages
442
Publisher
Lulu Publishing Services
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-1483459844
Dimensions
6 x 1.13 x 9 inches
Weight
1.76 pounds

Description

"... an incredibly powerful novel... The plot line was excellent; it was solid, strong and had some very surprising, if not terrifying, twists in it along the way. The characters, especially the main protagonist, are incredibly well developed... Fantastic fast-paced story, this would make an excellent movie!" - Review by Anne-Marie Reynolds - 5 Stars at ReadersFavorite.com " Fast-paced and told with surprising twists, The Policewoman is an insanely gripping read; yes, it is intoxicating. Justin W.M. Roberts creates a compelling character in Sarah, one that readers will want to follow closely. Although the story is set against the backdrop of the world many years into the future, it comes across with striking realism. The narrative voice is unique and clear and the prose so clean and seductive that readers will find it hard to put the book down. I enjoyed this story a lot, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to thriller fans. A great and compelling read." -Review by Christian Shia - 5 Stars at ReadersFavorite.com "The plot is fast-paced and the fact that Sarah is always at the point of running into some danger makes it even more riveting...xa0it is very believable with characters that are as interesting as they are real. The writing is flawless and the narrative voice comes across in a compelling way. The Policewoman is packed with action, rippling with emotions, and is satisfying. Enjoyed it." - Review by Divine Zape - 5 Starsxa0at ReadersFavorite.com "The characters are so well explored and defined that they leap off the pages... an action paced novel, a page-turning police investigation, and a great thriller. The international setting offers a lot of color and variety to the story. Overall, the pacing is good, the characters are compelling, and the story is entertaining. Good read." - Review by Arya Fomonyuy - 5 Stars atxa0ReadersFavorite.com "Most novels set in the future have some element of distance to them, where the technological advancement or dystopian elements are so far removed from the present that the book becomes escapist in nature. However, there are also those books, like The Policewoman by Justin Roberts, that paint a portrait of the world that may lie in our not-so-distant future. The dramatic, over-the-top elements of this novel are certainly evidence of the author trying to make an impact, but there is still a grisly realism to the tale that will leave readers haunted and jumpy long after they finish the last page.In a world controlled by savage drug cartels, who produce, distribute and kill seemingly at will, it takes only the hardest and most dedicated officers to put their lives on the line to stop the chaos. Sarah is the unexpected heroine in this brutal tale, a highly trained special operative working in Densus-88, an antiterrorist task force that takes no prisoners. However, early on, she is reassigned to aid in the takedown of the Irish cartel, one of the most notorious and merciless groups in the global drug scene. While she may be the best woman for the job, she must take her skills to the next level, and put them into life-or-death practice, particularly when targets falls on her own back and the lives of those she holds dear.The backstory of the characters and the drug cartels is incredibly thorough and engaging, and the novel crisscrosses the globe in a tangled story that must have taken an extreme amount of research. From the dialects of the characters to the occasional splashes of local flavor and detail, Roberts spares no word or clever allusion. This diligence draws readers into the story; they can smell the streets of Indonesia, hear the clamor of Manchester, and sense the tension in every meticulously crafted conversation. The tactical knowledge and special forces background is apparent in the narrative, which makes the entire story all the more believable. The personalities of Sarah's new team are also carefully designed, and the author takes time to make each of them stand out.In a 500-page novel, there is room for ample world-building, and although these are places and issues that we recognize from the real world, there is also a sharp fictional edge that provides the necessary entertainment value. Roberts has a firm grasp on the mindset of an officer of the law, as well as insight into the minds of madmen. This omniscient awareness of what makes for a believable character, scene, plot elevation or interaction is why an appreciative reader will tear through this book. The ominous nature of the plot - namely the similarities to certain devolving drug issues in the real world - also make this a timely and prescient book that will send an occasional shiver up your spine.Unfortunately, the cover is not at all representative of the quality of the novel itself. As an ambitious reader, if you're willing to dig into a hefty tome, invest heavily in brilliantly original characters, and take a thrilling ride towards an ending you'll never see coming, then pick up The Policewoman by Justin Roberts - an epic and rewarding read." -SPR, 4 Stars "The Bottom Line : An engaging, original thriller pitting narco-terrorists against an elite force led by a memorable heroine. Highly recommended. xa0Justin W.M. Robert's The Policewoman begins in the year 2026. The Irish drug cartel is thriving, with manufacturing and distribution operations in the UK, Ireland and Indonesia. Not content to stop there, the cartel is expanding its empire. What's more, life is cheap, and they take pleasure in intimidating, torturing and assassinating anyone who stands in their way. xa0Enter ambitious inspector Sarah Michelle Dharmawan, who leads an antiterrorist unit in Indonesia's Indonesia's National Police Force. She's sent to Machchester to help form a special task force to destroy the cartel. Robert devotes considerable time outlining the complexity of Sarah's character and her motivations. He quite equitably develops the cartel as well, including history, personnel and its training and tactics. Fans of military thrillers will appreciate the level of detail throughout.The result is an addictive tour de force throughout the British Isles and Indonesia as Sarah's team attempts to uncover the identity of various cartel members and subsequently shut down their operations. Loyalty to both comrades and family is a strong theme throughout the book, and the development of relationships among the team is well earned. The group's tactics are imaginative, and throughout the novel, Roberts keeps things lively with dark humour that makes the plot come alive. Read it." -BestThrillers.com From the Inside Flap Sarah thinks hard for a few seconds before making a decision. "All call signs, standby to go noisy. Delta, prepare frame charge," she whispers.xa0Everyone switches their weapons to full-auto while Dave places the frame charge on the door. After it's ready, he gives the signal and returns to his original position. Once he's in position behind Sarah, he squeezes her left shoulder. Sarah then squeezes George's left shoulder, indicating that the people behind him are ready. George prepares a flashbang and shows the pin to Al, indicating to him that everyone behind George is ready. Al exaggeratedly nods and George does the same, signalling Sarah that everyone is ready. This takes less than ten seconds, from Sarah giving Dave the order to prepare his frame charge to George nodding."Execute the entry in five," whispers Sarah into her comm headset."Four.""Three."xa0"Two."xa0Al turns his body to shield himself from the blast of the frame charge."One."xa0Dave flips off the safety and his thumb is on the detonator."Execute!"xa0What happens next is controlled chaos! Dave detonates the frame charge and George immediately throws the flashbang inside the room while Al enters. Al sees an immediate threat on the Green side so he crisscrosses to the left, shooting his weapon just as the flashbang goes off a couple of metres away from him. George notices Al crisscross to the left so he automatically buttonhooks to the right, also while firing his weapon. Sarah makes her entry and sees that the Green side of the room is clear. She buttonhooks and takes the right-middle to support George, who is shooting controlled pairs to multiple targets in his TAOR. At the same time, Sarah notices Dave take left-middle to support Al. The shouts of 'X-Ray down' are heard repeatedly, adding to the chaos. Justin W. M. Roberts was born in London, England. He has travelled widely in Europe, Africa, and Asia and has lived in Indonesia for the last twenty-five years. He has a degree in PPP (Psychology, Philosophy, and Physiology) from Hull University, England. He lives with his wife and two children in Jakarta. Read more

Features & Highlights

  • "Fantastic fast-paced story, this would make an excellent movie!"
  • -
  • Review by Anne-Marie Reynolds - 5 Stars at ReadersFavorite.com
  • Narcoterrorism wreaks havoc on the world as drug cartels operate as dominating, murderous dictatorships. The powerful Irish Drug Cartel has set up drug manufacturing plants around the world and they will kill anyone who gets in their way. Sarah is an ambitious policewoman from an antiterrorist unit. She's also smart, beautiful, and extremely good at her job, which is why she is assigned to an Interpol Incident Response Team in Manchester, set up to find and stop The Cartel. Alongside colleagues from the United Kingdom's SAS, she must quickly learn new Close Quarters Battle tactics and apply them to a vengeful and threatening battlefield. Sarah's investigation appears to be going well until the fight turns personal. She must now struggle to save her friends, family, and even herself. Spanning the globe with a keen knowledge of special forces tactics and some genuinely shocking twists, this book warns of a bloody, drug-addled future we may soon face.

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(69)
★★★★
25%
(58)
★★★
15%
(35)
★★
7%
(16)
★
23%
(53)

Most Helpful Reviews

✓ Verified Purchase

A treat for action fans serious about technical accuracy!

"...courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear."

Debut author Justin W. M. Roberts and I became acquainted recently in the Action Heroine Fans group that I help moderate on Goodreads. I noticed his mentions of this novel there, and was interested enough to accept his generous offer of a hardcover review copy; but no guarantee of a good review (or a review at all) was asked or expected. This book had no trouble earning its stars on its merits! For much of the time while I was reading it, I expected to give it four stars, but after the impact of the ending, there's no way I could give it any less than five.

"Write about what you know" is an axiom Roberts clearly takes seriously. British born (and a graduate of Hull Univ.), his father was an army general, and the future author seems to have been what's sometimes called in U.S. slang an "army brat," who grew up in close proximity to military bases and traveling around the world to different postings. For the past 25 years, he's made his home in Indonesia; this book is set partly there and in the British Isles, and like the author, his titular heroine straddles the two cultures. He also appears to have a background in police and/or military counter-terrorist services. His knowledge of S.W.A.T. (special weapons and tactics) terms and procedures, firearms specs, and both British and Indonesian police and military organization and organizational culture and traditions is extensive, to put it mildly, and he puts this to use in spades throughout the book. It's noted at the beginning of the book that almost all of these tactics are "intentionally disguised" to protect police and military officers (so that baddies can't use the book as a text to learn what to expect!), but it still has a very realistic feel. We're in the hands of a writer who knows his stuff here; readers who need and want technical accuracy won't be disappointed. For other readers like me, who don't know one brand of firearm from another and have little technical knowledge of covert operations, much of this information will go over our heads, but it will still give a feeling of verisimilitude, and maybe impart some knowledge that will stick! (Seven and a half pages of glossaries of organizational "alphabet soup" and British, Indonesian and Irish military/police slang and terms and Gaelic --here spelled "Gaeilge"-- phrases are provided; and if you're anything like me, you'll refer to them frequently.)

To write a gripping tale of action adventure, of course, one needs more than technical knowledge. Such a story requires a fundamental, high-stakes conflict with moral issues that matter, involving believable characters that the reader can actually care about. Roberts delivers that here, too. His story is set in 2026, in order to allow for the full effects of planned downsizing of the British army, scheduled to be fully effected in 2020, and for the related rise of a new player in international drug trafficking, the Irish Drug Cartel. The book opens with a grisly and highly attention-grabbing torture scene that (once the reader interprets it in the light of the information that follows in the first chapters) establishes the moral polarities very clearly. Heroine Sarah --half Indonesian, half European, from a military family, and raised partly in England-- still in her 20s, is a high-ranking and very capable officer in the paramilitary wing of the Indonesian National Police. She's seconded early on to Interpol and sent to England to join the task force battling the Cartel. It's no exaggeration to say she's one of the best, and best-drawn, action heroines I've encountered in fiction. The other important characters are also vividly realized. (There are so many secondary ones that some of their names and sometimes organizational affiliations are hard to keep track of, but you don't actually have to --in those cases, I just sort of went with the flow. :-) ) There's a lot of action, but significant character development and interaction as well. (Some readers found the first four chapters slow-paced or even boring, because of the introductions and setting up of the situation, but I honestly did not; I thought Roberts did a good job of holding interest there.) While I've classified this as action-adventure rather than mystery, the author effectively uses some techniques of mystery fiction in places to hide clues in plain sight. Some parts of this book are profoundly moving, and it packs a very real emotional wallop. The third-person, present tense narrative mode takes some getting used to, but I actually adjusted to it pretty quickly. One quibble would be that Cartel members, in places, are more loose-lipped and careless than would likely be the case in real life. But that is just a small quibble.

Some content warnings are needed here. I mentioned an opening torture scene; and Niall, the Cartel's pet psychopath and torturer, is as radically evil a figure as you'll ever encounter in a book. There are some other torture scenes here as well, all of them graphic, and the violence is grim and bloody, with a lot of messy deaths. The author would say the violent content isn't any more graphic than it has to be, and (unlike Niall), he clearly doesn't take pleasure in it; but this isn't a read for the squeamish. While there's not much bad language in the first three or so chapters, there gets to be a lot of it later, with quite a bit of use of the f-word. This does reflect English-speaking cop and military sub-culture, as well as the speech of low-life thugs, and also, to a degree, contemporary secular British speech (which apparently has coarsened even more than American speech in recent decades); but it can become grating, and some dialogue is cringe-worthy. While there's some unmarried sex here, the sex between the good characters is at least loving and not really explicit; but there's a lot of locker-room--style sexual banter that's R (or X)-rated. Some female readers might also feel that the book suffers some from the "male gaze" syndrome, especially in the references to a photo of Sarah in a bikini. (When the photo was taken, she was wearing it at the beach in an appropriate context, and I'd certainly say that there's nothing dirty about the human body, and no reason that males can't admire feminine beauty --and vice versa--without any lewdness or disrespect. But whether the admiration of some characters here for Sarah's is that pure might be questioned.)

Roberts' online author profile notes that he's "an active promoter of secular humanism." This particular book, however, doesn't grind any sort of philosophical ax. If it has any messages, they would be recognition that drug use and drug trafficking is a pestilent scourge on the world, and high admiration and respect for the often-maligned work of the brave men and women of the police and military who put their lives on the line to stand against it. (Interestingly, Sarah is a professed Catholic, and that aspect of her character is treated respectfully. Granted, it's clear that her religious beliefs, as far as they go, are more a matter of birthright church membership than a life-transforming personal spiritual commitment --but she does tangibly demonstrate that they go further than just empty words.)

In summary, I'd recommend this novel for action fans generally, not just for those who particularly like action heroines (though many of the latter will agree that Sarah's "the ultimate action heroine!"). The content issues, IMO, don't detract from its very real merits (and might not bother many readers at all); and the author deserves particular credit for bringing to life an admirable heroine of mixed race, a demographic that gets way too little representation in English-language action fiction.

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