Under Color of Law

★ ★ ★ 1/2 (rounded up)
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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THREE EVENTS
There 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 SON
Finn'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 MORALITY
Finn 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.