Under Color of Law
Written by Aaron Philip Clark
Narrated by Preston Butler III
4/5
()
About this audiobook
The murder of a police recruit pins a black LAPD detective in a deadly web where race, corruption, violence, and cover-ups intersect in this relevant, razor-sharp novel of suspense.
Black rookie cop Trevor “Finn” Finnegan aspires to become a top-ranking officer in the Los Angeles Police Department and fix a broken department. A fast-track promotion to detective in the coveted Robbery-Homicide Division puts him closer to achieving his goal.
Four years later, calls for police accountability rule the headlines. The city is teeming with protests for racial justice. When the body of a murdered black academy recruit is found in the Angeles National Forest, Finn is tasked to investigate.
As pressure mounts to solve the crime and avoid a PR nightmare, Finn scours the underbelly of a volatile city where power, violence, and race intersect. But it’s Finn’s past experience as a beat cop that may hold the key to solving the recruit’s murder. The price? The end of Finn’s career…or his life.
Aaron Philip Clark
Aaron Philip Clark is a novelist and screenwriter from Los Angeles. In addition to his writing career, he has worked in the film industry and in law enforcement. For more information, visit www.aaronphilipclark.com.
Related to Under Color of Law
Titles in the series (2)
Under Color of Law Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blue Like Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related audiobooks
Borrowed Time Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Wolf Point Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blue Like Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Killing Fire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hide Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unspoken: An Ashe Cayne Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Overnights: An Ashe Cayne Novel, Book 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThey Can't Take Your Name Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Laws of Depravity: Revised Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Laws of Wrath Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Say Her Name Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Skies of Ash: A Detective Elouise Norton Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Her Name Is Knight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Of Blood and Sorrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Land of Shadows Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Runner Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Glory Be: A Glory Broussard Mystery, Book 1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Laws of Annihilation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You Never Know: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Trail of Echoes: A Detective Elouise Norton Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Running to Fall Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5August Snow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wife of the Gods: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paper Doll Lina: A Novel Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Fadeaway Joe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPerfect Little Lives: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHollywood Ending Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Police Procedural For You
Stone Maidens Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5River Wild: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fractured: A Will Trent Thriller Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Fifth Suspect Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Whisper Man: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cleaning the Gold: A Jack Reacher and Will Trent Short Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finders Keepers: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Mercedes: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5End of Watch: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Pearl: A Cold Case Suspense Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5City on Fire: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5City of Dreams: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5His & Hers: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5YOU DID THIS Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grendel’s Game Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Undone: A Will Trent Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Broken: A Will Trent Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Shadows: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Criminal: A Will Trent Thriller Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Night Shift: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Never Tell Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Random in Death: An Eve Dallas Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unseen: A Will Trent Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dry: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heat Wave Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Lying Next to Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cipher Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fallen: A Will Trent Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last Policeman Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5With Our Blessing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for Under Color of Law
12 ratings1 review
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.---THREE EVENTSThere are three major events that define the career of LAPD Detective Trevor “Finn” Finnegan.The first happens in his teens and leads to him deciding to abandon his plan to pursue an artistic career and follow in his father's footsteps and apply to the Police Academy. The second is the event that puts him on the accelerated track to promotion as a detective.The third is the case that is the focus of this novel. A black Police Academy recruit is found dead—in a way that screams both suspicious and weird. Finn is assigned to work the case solo—his partner is on medical leave—despite the volatile nature of this case.The media scrutiny on the case is intense, BLM protesters are turning it into a rallying point, and Finn isn't making fast progress—making him a target for the command structure, the media, and the community. And Finn is sure that the answers that he will find aren't going to make anyone happy—assuming he can live long enough to find them.FATHER AND SONFinn's father is retired LAPD, and still has a degree of pull and respect from his former colleagues. But he's putting it at risk—he's playing a very visible and loud role in BLM (and similar) protests that were going on even before Finn's case.His health and mental acuity are in decline—yet he's still able to advise and cajole Finn in between their regular bouts of arguing. It's a complicated relationship that feels rather real (more than a few others in the book).A COMPLICATED MORALITYFinn says that he wants to rise in the ranks so that he can be a force for reform—particularly when it comes to the way that the LAPD deals with minorities. And he really does seem driven by those concerns.But what's the cost for advancement in the LAPD? How many things does he have to overlook to save his career? How many rules will he bend? How many compromises are necessary?There are no easy answers, no clear-cut moral distinctions—a lot of what Finn does (and doesn't do) will make the reader uncomfortable, and should.He really seems to be a guy who wants to do the right thing—but doesn't what that is all the time. And when he does know what the right thing he is, he's not sure how to do it. Which makes him seem pretty human and relatable, if not the typical hero.A SERIES?I thought I'd read that this was the first in a series about Finn—but as the book continued, especially as it moved into the endgame, I couldn't see how it would continue. I actually assumed that I remembered incorrectly and that it wouldn't keep going.Then when Clark tips his hand and shows how the story can continue, I was pretty impressed—it's not at all what I saw coming, but think it'll be rich with opportunity for continued stories.SO, WHAT DID I THINK ABOUT UNDER COLOR OF LAW?It took me a while to really see what Clark was doing here, I expected Finn to be your usual driven detective—and in many ways he was. But in more ways, he wasn't. Think of Bosch at his most political (especially early on) and you've got the beginnings of an understanding of how Finn works within and against the system.The further I got into it, the more I could see how the event that made him want to be a cop shaped him, how much he's grown since the first two events I listed.But more than that, this novel is a great exploration of the morality of law enforcement as well as a compelling novel about a murder investigation. Many of the twists and reveals seemed obvious, but just as many blind-sided me.The narration was just as strong, Butler did a great job of bringing Finn and his circumstances to life.I can't help but feel that I'm short-changing this book, it deserves more from me, but I can't think of what it is that I'm missing.Under Color of Law is a dark and tense novel, with just a hint of hope. It's worth your time.