TLC Book Tours – Rule of Capture by Christopher Brown

Book tour day!

Thanks to TLC Book Tours and Harper Voyager for the free copy in exchange for my honest review

RULE OF CAPTURE – Christopher Brown (out now!)

Book Description:

“This one is fresh, intelligent, and emotional with a plot that envisions an alternate reality hard to dismiss as unreal.  It’s a legal thriller, with a big twist, stirring and imaginative, brimming with skullduggery, that will have you asking: is this possible?”

— New York Times bestselling author Steve Berry

Better Call Saul meets Ben Winter’s The Last Policeman in this first volume in an explosive legal thriller series set in the world of Tropic of Kansas—a finalist for the 2018 Campbell Award for best science fiction novel of the year.

Defeated in a devastating war with China and ravaged by climate change, America is on the brink of a bloody civil war. Seizing power after a controversial election, the ruling regime has begun cracking down on dissidents fighting the nation’s slide toward dictatorship. For Donny Kimoe, chaos is good for business. He’s a lawyer who makes his living defending enemies of the state.

His newest client, young filmmaker Xelina Rocafuerte, witnessed the murder of an opposition leader and is now accused of terrorism. To save her from the only sentence worse than death, Donny has to extract justice from a system that has abandoned the rule of law. That means breaking the rules—and risking the same fate as his clients.

When Donny bungles Xelina’s initial hearing, he has only days to save the young woman from being transferred to a detention camp from which no one returns. His only chance of winning is to find the truth—a search that begins with the opposition leader’s death and leads to a dark conspiracy reaching the highest echelons of power.

Now, Donny isn’t just fighting for his client’s life—he’s battling for his own. But as the trial in the top secret court begins, Xelina’s friends set into motion a revolutionary response that could destroy the case. And when another case unexpectedly collides with Xelina’s, Donny uncovers even more devastating secrets, knowledge that will force him to choose between saving one client . . . or the future of the entire country.

My Thoughts: 4/5 stars

Old habits die hard – another book I’m picking up in the middle of a series. RULE OF CAPTURE is book two in a series (book one being TROPIC OF KANSAS). However, considering this is set in that same world, I didn’t exactly feel lost. Still a dystopian/thriller/courtroom drama and I found myself immediately drawn in.

The characters were really interesting and I enjoyed this unique look into a future that our world seems to be heading towards. That’s when I tend to enjoy the dystopian genre – give me something that feels even a little bit plausible. That element gives it the edge it needs in my mind. I also liked the combining of these genres – you get the overall dystopian vibe but then the story is a courtroom drama/thriller as the main attraction.

There were some parts towards the end that felt a little rushed/muddled, but that could also just be a me thing. I would definitely go back and pick up book one in this series to get to know this world better! Considering the end, the author is setting things up for another installment in the series, and I’m sure some of the questions I ended up happening will be answered then.

About the Author:

Christopher Brown’s debut novel Tropic of Kansas was a finalist for the Campbell Award for best science fiction novel of 2018, and he was a World Fantasy Award nominee for the anthology Three Messages and a Warning. His short fiction and criticism has appeared in a variety of magazines and anthologies, including MIT Technology Review, LitHub, Tor.com and The Baffler. He lives in Austin, Texas, where he also practices law.

Find out more at his website, and connect with him on Twitter and Instagram.

Where to Purchase a Copy:

HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble