Review: Urban Justice (Vigilante Justice Book 2) by John Etzil

Things can change fast in a small town, and a few weeks after Jack Lamburt handles the initial drama at The Red Barn and the violent fallout from the mafia, trouble is still lingering on the horizon. Urban Justice, the second novel in the Vigilante Justice series by John Etzil, picks up right where the first left off, welcoming back eager readers to Lamburt’s unique form of justice.

The sister of the Sheriff’s bartending lover is still missing, and despite using all the formidable tools at his disposal, Jack keeps coming up short. Inevitably, he has to leave the comfort of his cozy home and take the fight to the big bad city. Outside that mental and physical refuge, however, Lamburt’s old habits kick back into high gear, and the body count quickly begins to rise. Hunting down the men holding Debbie’s sister adds enough danger to his days, but his brutal form of justice has also caught the eye of the feds, whom he has been fleeing for years.

This bloody, bullet-speeding tale has the same vicious energy of Etzil’s first installment, but the characters feel more well developed and built out, including the villains, rather than leaving them as stereotypical gangsters. This extra layer of plot gives the story more depth, and makes readers care whether Lamburt manages to survive and wriggle his way out of the next tight jam. The action scenes can get slightly exhausting, particularly in the second half of the book, when they come hot and heavy, along with graphic language and violence, but for fans of this genre, the gritty power in Etzil’s writing is hard to deny.

The dialogue throughout this novel leaves something to be desired, as characters often use words that seem completely outside their personality, while other passages sound like they’ve been torn directly from a film noir script from the 1950s. While this genre is rife with clichés and potential potholes of repetition, more of a focus on organic dialogue and consistency in the character portrayals would keep readers more engaged and invested in the players. When it comes to narration, readers are often told what is happening, rather than shown, and the choppy, declarative nature of the narrative voice can be jarring.

Etzil has created a riveting character in Jack Lamburt, even if he does fall into some familiar tropes. Many of these issues could be cleared up with a thorough edit that polished up the action scenes, boosted the authenticity of the dialogue, and used descriptive opportunities in more creative ways. By the second installment of a series, readers want to feel connected to characters, and Etzil misses some opportunities to stand out with his character development, not only of Sheriff Jack, but also peripheral characters like Cosmo, Debbie, Catherine, and Frankie.

All of that being said, this is a fast, guilty pleasure of a read that is perfect for an afternoon escape. With rapid chapters, snappy dialogue and more vengeful fight scenes than you can shake a stick at, Urban Justice is a rollicking, thrill-a-minute book that improves on its predecessor considerably, and will make converts to the series.