"He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Nietzsche Such is the dilemma of Jack Warren, Toronto police officer. Transferred from a division in which his days were filled with parking tickets and misdemeanors to a beat in the part of town where every call is an exercise in survival, Jack feels that he is finally making a difference. However, there are rumors about how Division 51 changes cops for the worse, and the line between justice and vengeance becomes very blurred as Jack is thrown into a manhunt head-first.

I don't usually mark hard-boiled police dramas as my favorite type of fiction, but I must admit that I was drawn into the story, wondering what would become of Jack. He wasn't a character that I immediately liked, but over time, I came to understand him better, and rooted for his success.

I felt that this book could have done with some stronger female characters, and a bit more fleshing out, but overall I did enjoy it. The writing was straightforward, no-nonsense - fitting for the tough neighborhoods Jack roamed.

I would be curious to discover how much of Lethal Rage was drawn from author Brent Pilkey's personal experience, as he spent 15 years in the 51 Division he describes.

I received an ARC of this book for review purposes from ECW press. ( )