Death Votes Last (Jeff Trask Crime Drama, #5) (Jeff Trask Series - Book 5)

by Marc Rainer

[EBookObsessed]

I love when a series goes back to the basics of what made it great. Like Law & Order, this series gives us the best of both worlds as you follow the story from investigation to conclusion. The court drama was compelling, and the danger from up high felt palpable.

I was engrossed by this story from beginning to end. As I have mentioned before, when an author doesn’t hesitate to kill off main characters, a story like this takes you on the edge of your seat and keeps you in a state of excitment and anxiety.

While prior stories focused on dangerous drug lords and gang crimes, this one shines a spotlight on the more dangerous “criminals” in our legistative system. These men are more dangerous because they legally hold all the power and proving guilt is nearly impossible.

As the balance of power in Washington D.C. changes hands, even Jeff Trask is effected when a new the new administration names a new head of the Justice Department. So far Jeff is keeping his position as Senior Litigation Counsel, but when a death occurs that might be political in nature, Jeff isn’t sure whether his new boss will have his back.

A Senator is dead in what might simply be a run of the mill car accident, until the investigation starts to uncover that Senator Sherwin “Digger” Graves was drugged before his fatal drive home. Was this a personal vendetta or a conspiracy to tilt the balance of power? The Senate is currently split 50/50 and the Senator’s death leaves an opening which could change everything if a Democratic replacement is sent from his home state.

Possible loose-ends are turning up dead and one man steps forward to point the finger at the current Senate Minority Leader, a man who has held a position of power in D.C. for decades. Can Jeff and his team go after one of the most powerful men in Washington with accusations of murder and conspiracy and make it stick? And will Jeff have the support of the new administration when politics and whose side of the line you stand on are very much a part of the problem?

This case is a hot potato and delves into life in Washington D.C. It points out the difficulties for the Department of Justice created every time the government changes hands. How the fat cats in the legislature get richer on selling themselves to the lobbiests. It also points out how difficult it is to hold these powerful men accountable for their actions when they make themselves to be above the law.

Tensions are high in this story as the quickest way out of this prosecution is to remove the witnesses against the Senator, even if they have to get that information out of Jeff and his team by force.

I couldn’t put it down. The story kept me intrigued, anxious and very much pissed off in what can only be seen as failings in our legislative system.