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enthusedteaandbook's review
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
shoregirl32's review
3.0
I would have given 3.5 stars if there were 1/2 stars. Flawed characters can be magnetic, but the main character Trevor here, while interesting and involved in a good plot, is not very likable. The book kept my interest. I do think the writing is good.
alk2025's review
5.0
I love how this book was written. Starts with a prologue I wasn't sure was needed. It does tie into the story later on. All of my questions were answered by the end of the story even if I didn't get the answers I wanted. The answers fit the characters, I don't feel cheated.
Characters are real to me.
I'm looking forward to following Trevor Finnegan. I want to see where his life takes him from the point where he is at the end of Under Color of Law.
Characters are real to me.
I'm looking forward to following Trevor Finnegan. I want to see where his life takes him from the point where he is at the end of Under Color of Law.
readerro's review
5.0
Wonderfully written
I wasn't sure after the pain of the past years that I could take this book. But the author painted a picture where I could feel the pain and not disappear into despair. A thriller/mystery that feels real without being too traumatizing.
I wasn't sure after the pain of the past years that I could take this book. But the author painted a picture where I could feel the pain and not disappear into despair. A thriller/mystery that feels real without being too traumatizing.
literarymarie's review
5.0
Under Color of Law is the first book in the Trevor Finnegan series by Aaron Philip Clark. This new main character is a good cop but hasn't been a good man in a long while. He doesn't show emotion. He knows the department has a diversity problem. Yet he somehow climbed the ladder fairly quickly. And why is that?
Black rookie cop Trevor "Finn" Finnegan wants to become the top-ranking officer in the LAPD. His goal is to fix the broken department. So his fast-track promotion to detective in the coveted Robbery-Homicide division puts him closer to achieving his goal.
The city of Los Angeles calls for police accountability. In the midst of racial justice protests and senseless killings by cops, the body of a Black police academy recruit is found. Of course, Finn is tasked to investigate the murder. The suspenseful story spins into a web of corruption, violence, race and cover-ups.
First of all, I fell in like with Finn when he drank his second cup of Earl Grey. Now this is a character that knows his tea! I liked him even more when he realized the burden of knowledge is crushing. Do you know how long it takes people IRL to figure this out? Yet we have a fictional man of color that is in tune with his intellect and faults. Hello, Under Color of Law and the Trevor Finnegan series!
Aaron Philip Clark, I am your new fan. Your description of a warm night's air is so detailed that I could feel the summer energy through my Kindle. Your creation of a strong Black character is solid. And most of all, your depiction of cops and police departments is what most of us are thinking but not saying aloud. Thank you for not making this first book in series the end of Finn's career or life. We need him in the book series world.
Under Color of Law is so. damn. good! I am looking forward to Blue Like Me late in the new year.
~LiteraryMarie
Black rookie cop Trevor "Finn" Finnegan wants to become the top-ranking officer in the LAPD. His goal is to fix the broken department. So his fast-track promotion to detective in the coveted Robbery-Homicide division puts him closer to achieving his goal.
The city of Los Angeles calls for police accountability. In the midst of racial justice protests and senseless killings by cops, the body of a Black police academy recruit is found. Of course, Finn is tasked to investigate the murder. The suspenseful story spins into a web of corruption, violence, race and cover-ups.
First of all, I fell in like with Finn when he drank his second cup of Earl Grey. Now this is a character that knows his tea! I liked him even more when he realized the burden of knowledge is crushing. Do you know how long it takes people IRL to figure this out? Yet we have a fictional man of color that is in tune with his intellect and faults. Hello, Under Color of Law and the Trevor Finnegan series!
Aaron Philip Clark, I am your new fan. Your description of a warm night's air is so detailed that I could feel the summer energy through my Kindle. Your creation of a strong Black character is solid. And most of all, your depiction of cops and police departments is what most of us are thinking but not saying aloud. Thank you for not making this first book in series the end of Finn's career or life. We need him in the book series world.
Under Color of Law is so. damn. good! I am looking forward to Blue Like Me late in the new year.
~LiteraryMarie
duanebutcher's review
2.0
Wouldn't recommend. Writing is poor. Story not interesting. Points for taking on police abuse but there's really nothing to see here.
bookph1le's review
4.0
4.5 stars
There were a lot of elements to this book, and I didn't think any of them got short shrift. Trevor was such a well-rounded, fascinating character, and the events in this book kept me riveted. The whole time I read it, I was marveling at how good it was. Rather than rely on contrivances or preposterous twists, it hews closely to the human element, centering a mystery that seemed all too possible, given what's been exposed about policing in America. This was just excellent, and I look forward to more books in this series.
There were a lot of elements to this book, and I didn't think any of them got short shrift. Trevor was such a well-rounded, fascinating character, and the events in this book kept me riveted. The whole time I read it, I was marveling at how good it was. Rather than rely on contrivances or preposterous twists, it hews closely to the human element, centering a mystery that seemed all too possible, given what's been exposed about policing in America. This was just excellent, and I look forward to more books in this series.
mfraise05's review against another edition
3.0
I am new to the police/detective mystery genre so I don't have any real insight into how this compares to anything else in the genre. That being said, I gave this three stars because it was well-written but could have been better. I was interested in the storyline; the narrator Detective Trevor Finnegan was interesting enough, and the whodunnit was enough to keep me reading. However, it read like an "edited for tv" version of what should have been a more fleshed out book. Maybe too much was cut by editors? Characters could have been given more development, things felt rushed when they didn't need to be, Finnegan was so freaking naive it was annoying - I grew increasingly irritated by his refusal to admit that the LAPD was(is) more bad than good and his insistence on excusing or defending shitty cop behavior with the tired "the job wears on you" excuse; and even though race is main factor in the storyline and Finnegan's experience as a cop, the author doesn't really dig deep into it, choosing to keep the racial experiences just at surface level. Also, Finnegan isn't super likeable. He doesn't treat anyone in the book particularly well, not his high school best friend/crush, not his father, not his lover; he acts like he's morally better than most of the rest of the department; and he's just generally unpleasant.
It looks like there's going to be more of this series but don't think I'll read them and if this is what cop mysteries are like, I'll skip those, too.
It looks like there's going to be more of this series but don't think I'll read them and if this is what cop mysteries are like, I'll skip those, too.
ameserole's review
4.0
Under Color of Law was a very eye opening mystery thriller. In today's world, it's not hard to see anyone in power not being corrupt. Especially when it comes to the police. In it, you will meet Trevor. He is a detective thrown into a case that links him back to a case where he was a rookie.
Each twist and turn kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked how things were tying back to when he was first starting. It definitely made things interesting and it hurt my heart at times too. The deep and dark things that are kept hidden but are brought into the light definitely makes you sit back and think on all the hard things in life.
If you can't trust a police officer when you are in trouble.. who can you trust?
In the end, I liked what Trevor did in the end because people thought they wouldn't have to deal with the consequences of their actions. It was definitely worth the read/listen and I'm so happy that I dove into this one.
Each twist and turn kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked how things were tying back to when he was first starting. It definitely made things interesting and it hurt my heart at times too. The deep and dark things that are kept hidden but are brought into the light definitely makes you sit back and think on all the hard things in life.
If you can't trust a police officer when you are in trouble.. who can you trust?
In the end, I liked what Trevor did in the end because people thought they wouldn't have to deal with the consequences of their actions. It was definitely worth the read/listen and I'm so happy that I dove into this one.
mltokars's review
5.0
This one took me some time to get into. Looking back I don’t think that was due to the writing, I think it was because this book addresses some heavy topics. And honestly life has been full of heavy topics for the last 2 years now and I didn’t know if I’d get through the book because I’ve turned to reading to veer away from those topics.
That being said, this book is many things. A mystery. A tool to inspect societal norms. An insight to human emotion in different capacities. A hope that justice does prevail eventually.
Great read.
That being said, this book is many things. A mystery. A tool to inspect societal norms. An insight to human emotion in different capacities. A hope that justice does prevail eventually.
Great read.