Shot Caller

Shot Caller by Jen J. Danna NYPD Negotiators #2 Character driven team attempt to prevent violence by prisoners on Riker’s Island when hostages are taken during a riot. Gemma and her team, the tactical assault team, department of corrections, and others are all involved in the solution. but Gemma and the other negotiators are on the front line doing their best with words to prevent loss of life. Will they or won’t they be successful? What I liked: * Gemma: negotiator, seasoned NYPD police officer, from a family of policemen and one fireman brother, skillful, driven, competent, takes things personally. * Logan: tactical team member, went through police academy with Gemma, strong, determined, focused, lethal, bright, still wonder if he might one day be a potential love interest for Gemma * Gemma’s family: the little we saw of her father and brothers makes me hope to see more of them in the future * The people that Gemma worked with – felt they were cohesive, friends, competent and skilled * Getting to see into the working of negotiators * That the focus was on how one person, Gemma, dealt with the situation she was working * The writing and plot * Wondering about how bad Riker’s actually was/is * The gang element of the story and how it impacted the situation * That not all wearing “white hats” were as good as they should have been * That the outcome was mixed…a win in some eyes but perhaps not in all. * Knowing that there will probably be another book in the series to look forward to What I didn’t like: * The hostage situation occurring in the first place BUT with this series…hostages have to be taken ;) * The indifference some showed * Knowing that negative behavior on the part of people “in charge” does occur in real life NOTE: Not a dislike BUT a comment…this story focuses on Gemma and her part in the story. We don’t learn much about her team, the team members on the 12-hour shift she was not working, what is happening inside the prison…but that is fine…just a comment. We are seeing and experiencing what one person does and how she relates to it rather than an omniscient view. Did I enjoy this book? Yes Would I read more in this series? Definitely Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest Review 5 Stars

Abandon hope, all ye who enter here. Wow! What a way to begin. The author has done a fabulous job of taking the reader inside the world of a prison riot. With great detail, we travel into Rikers Island, experiencing all the security and more. Gemma Capello is an NYPD negotiator - thus it is up to her and the team to try to end this standoff without the death of the hostages or the inmates. Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear. - FDR Does she have the courage needed to meet with the shot caller of this group of inmates, a group that is made up of almost every gang in the city? An ARC was received through NetGalley and this incredible book is published by Kensington Publishing. These impressions and comments are my own and were in no way solicited.