Rating: 
Summary: Be wary of other reviews
Review:
Ok, I have to add my two cents this since the other reviews are so extreme--either emphatically fantastic or emhpatically horrid. Let me try to be more fair.
First, the book is good until about halfway, then it feels too long, and it starts to feel too contrived.
Second, I'm no genius, and I typically don't figure out the killer in a mystery, but I knew the killer in this book on 306 of a 448-page book. That means the remaining 140 pages were horribly over-padded, in my opinion.
Third, the ending is ridiculous--he kills 11 others who are immobilized, but somehow C.J. is not immobilized and can defend herself. Please. And then after such horrible trauma where she's almost murdered, on top of the horrible trauma that has psychologically damaged her for years, C.J. suddenly appears happy at the end with Dominic. Again, please.
Fourth, be wary of some of the emphatic reviews. Given the publicity push to get this book sold, I have no doubt that the publishers post their own emphatically great reviews to sway opinion. This is just a wild guess, but if there are 20 emphatically positive reviews, perhaps half of them are real, and half are from lackies with an interest in strong sales in the book. I could be wrong. I doubt it.
Overall, this is an ok book with some interesting twists mixed with some very contrived events.
Buy this book at a discount (such as the cheap $4.49 Costco price), or wait to check it out at the library. It's worth reading, but not at full price.
Rating: 
Summary: A fast-paced tale of murder.
Review: C. J. Townsend is the no nonsense prosecutor who never loses her cool during the tough cases, until she meets the accused serial killer 'Cupid'...C. J.'s new case should not be anything different from her previous cases, a vicious killer with a thirst for violence. The evidence is overwhelming considering the wealthy young man is found with the body in his trunk. This case should be open and shut, but a shocking discovery unlocks a terrifying secret from C. J.'s past. As the case twist and turns, C. J. must work overtime to find closure with her past and hold herself together long enough to put a monster away forever. 'Retribution' is one of the BEST first novels I have read in years. The interesting lead character and fast-paced plot grabbed hold early on and didn't let go. Smooth writing and shocking surprises made this page-turner even easier to stay up all night reading until I reached the explosive climax. Jilliane Hoffman has written an instant bestseller that fans of polished courtroom thrillers will love. Expect to see great things from Ms. Hoffman, who may just prove to be a new leader in popular fiction. A MUST read! Nick Gonnella
Rating:
Summary: Maybe Revenge isn't Always so Sweet
Review: Chloe Larson was brutally attacked and raped by a knife wielding fiend in a clown's mask when she was a young law student in New York. Because of the rapist's knife, she is unable to have children. Years later she's a tough state's prosecutor in Miami dealing with a series of rape murders where the killer takes his victem's hearts. A tip leads the police to a suspect who has a heartless body of a new victim in the trunk of his car. During his arraignment Chloe hears his voice and knows right away he's the man who'd raped and knifed her all those years ago. She should take herself off the case, but instead she bends the law, ignores the ethics and gets a death penalty conviction. Then she finds out that even though he was a serial rapist, he was not the killer? Though I saw the ending miles away, it didn't make a bit of difference to this thoroughly enjoyable read. RETRIBUTION is a terrific debut novel and in my opinion worth all the hype. I can hardly wait for the movie. Reviewed by Lenore Douglass
Rating:
Summary: Good for a first novel
Review: Good idea to have the suspect in custody almost from the first page of the book and then do some back-story and let people guess. But I got really tired of the way the lead character did nothing but stress and go without sleep, and get clammy and dizzy and go without food, and hyperventilate and zone out and tremble and freak. Sheesh. Get a grip. Noticed some surprisingly awkward sentence structure now and then that I thought an editor should have pointed out to Ms. Hoffman, but otherwise fairly good narrative for a first-timer.
I agree that the killer became obvious a little too early on. I think the last scene was super-scary in the matter-of-fact way the killer went about preparing his tools, but was dragged out way too much as C.J. defended herself from him. I don't want to tell the end, but it should have stopped a bit sooner. Worth the read over all.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Book, kept me gripped until the very end.
Review: Great book, and it doesn't wimp out on the subject of retribution. I got grabbed from the first page where the main character, Chloe, gets raped and tortured. Her life falls apart at that point.
But then we see her several years later, her identity changed. Seemingly, she has left this event behind. But then the man who raped and tortured her becomes the prime suspect in a series of serial torture/murders. Once more, it seems that her life may fall apart again, but she is strong and perseveres. I don't want to reveal any more because it would "spoil" the many twists of the book. Do read it, I don't think you'll regret it.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I had recently been shopping for some new authors to spice up my reading. Retribution caught my eye, as did the reviews. Although it took me a while to get into the book, once I did, I read non-stop until the finish! I disagree that the writing was poor-it was a very well-written book, although I think it was a little too long. The plot and characters were well developed, and the lengths that CJ went to to put her rapist behind bars were incredible. I especially like how Hoffman takes the reader into the darkest thoughts of this desperate woman, and shows how far she'll go to see her attacker stay behind bars-from making deals with policemen regarding the secret tip, and their attempts at making the evidence fit (Chavez kicking in the headlight he allegedly pulled Bantling over for in the first place), to removing and hiding evidence that would allow authorities to tie her to Bantling (the necklace and the clown mask). The ending was great and filled with tension and suspense. However, I think Hoffman could have been more clear on who was the actual Cupid killer and who was the copycat. I believe that Bantling was indeed the Cupid killer and according to the conversation between CJ, Dominick, and Manny, that Chambers was the copycat, based on his obsession with CJ. The part of the storyline about how Chambers used CJ and Bantling as pawns in his "experiment" was well done and clever. I am looking forward to reading Hoffman's next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Unfortunately, I've read it all before
Review: I have a confession to make; I really did not like this book. I couldn't finish reading past about a quarter of the way through - but because I ALWAYS read to the end I forced myself to skim read the rest. I can't understand such great accolades for stereotypical characters and a plot that, beyond the chilling rape scene at the beginning, failed to impress me. I didn't like the style of writing from the beginning. Chloe Larson came across as irritating as hell in the first couple of chapters. I wanted to shout "Okay, I understand that she has perfect blond hair, a perfect size 4 body, a perfect life - enough already!' The plot was spoilt by over-the-top physical descriptions that sounded as though they came from notes on a Hollywood movie. Seriously though, the fact that the heroine had blond hair was mentioned far too many times in the first twenty pages, why didn't the editors notice this? The book seemed to plod by, with paragraphs that went on forever and led nowhere. So much of it was predictable: Young blond woman is brutally attacked, she changes her looks and comes out the other side 'tough' but vulnerable, falls for brooding, dark-haired Italian Detective...and so on. I don't mean to sound patronising, it's just that I read a huge number of books and I've read this type of thing so many times before. What's more, I've seen the movie so many times before. Overall I could not recommend this book because it was so hackneyed and stereotypical. The scariest and best-written scene was near the beginning and it all went downhill from there. JoAnne
Rating:
Summary: GREAT BOOK
Review: I HAVE BEEN READING BOOKS SINCE THE THIRD GRADE. I'AM NOW A GRANDMOTHER OF 14. THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST VERY BEST BOOKS I HAVE EVER READ. HOPE TO HEAR MORE FROME THIS AUTHOR.
TERRY, HALLMARK STORE OWNER
Rating:
Summary: very good read
Review: I like this type of book and was very sorry to have finished it. I liked the suspense and thought she did a very good job of keeping the identity a secret. I am looking forward to more books from this author.
Rating:
Summary: A 'WOW' book
Review: New York, 1988, and blonde law student, Chloe Larson, has it all, a go getting boyfriend and an ensured future in a prestige law firm. Then she wakes to find a man wearing a clown mask leaning over her calling her by the pet name that only her father calls her. She is sexually and physically tortured for hours; her torturer finally leaves her a whisper away from death and mentally shattered. Twelve years later, she has dyed her hair a drab brown, changed her name to CJ Townsend and is assistant chief of the Miami State Attorney's office. Miami has been in the grip of terror as a serial killer, nicknamed Cupid, has been viciously murdering blond women. By chance, William Bantling is pulled over by a traffic cop, and a mutilated body is found in the boot of his car. As a routine work assignment, CJ acquires the case of prosecuting William Bantling, but when he stands up in court and speaks, C.J. realizes that he is the man who tortured her years ago. She soon realises that her involvement in that case might very well cause Bantling to be freed on a technicality, but without her on the prosecuting team, he may walk anyway. However, she has to stay together mentally, and Bantling knows which button's to press.
This is Jilliane Hoffman's first novel, and as an Assistant State Attorney, she is writing about what she knows best; and her best is excellent. This is a book worth ringing up work sick and staying home to read. Unputdownable. I was hooked from the first page and was not put back down until the last page. This book is courtroom drama at its best, and has twists and turns and big surprise ending. CJ is excellently portrayed as a woman with a tortured past - trying to put her life back together. The characters are all well written, and realistic, even the rookie cop who is first on the scene. There is a love interest, Dominick Falconetti, who is the lead investigator on the case, but this is kept to a minimum and Hoffman balances this with `Cupid,' a villain who makes Hannibal Lector look like a pussycat; he is one deliciously evil man. There is an undeniably exciting final confrontation, with a final resolution that is a tiny bit far fetched, but oh so different. This is a `wow' book, and you should do yourself a favour and read it.
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