Supreme Justice

Joseph Reeder was a Secret Service Agent when he took a bullet for President Gregory Bennett. He lasted a month on a desk job until he decided to retire on disability and lead his own command. As CEO of ABC Security headquartered in Georgetown Reeder’s agency has a high profile with law enforcement. It is no surprise when DC Homicide Detective Carl Bishop calls and asks Reeder for a favor as ABC handles the security for Verdict Chophouse. It is the same restaurant where ultraconservative Associate Justice Henry Venter was shot and killed during a robbery the prior evening. Beyond Reeder’s Secret Service training and experience he is an expert in the field of kinesics and has a different opinion about the shooting. It is essential show more that a multi-agency law enforcement investigation team determine the motive and arrest those responsible. It is an isolated event, isn’t it?

I was riveted from the 1st sentence! It quickly became eerie on page 2 to read the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision had already occurred as I knew this was a 3-book series. Even then I had to immediately stop and check the copyright date that revealed ©2014. Adrenaline-pumping, compelling reading that in the polarized political arena of the current day is taut and relevant. The selection of the epigraphs, identification, and format style was thoughtful and meaningful not only to the theme of the story but helped to set the mood including the connection to where Reeder takes walks.

I didn’t recognize the author’s name until I began reading About the Author and realized his work has previously captured my attention. Regardless of the format, Collins selects he is a master storyteller. show less

Who is killing U.S. Supreme Court justices? And are they trying to change the balance on the Court by killing conservative justices appointed by a president who stacked the Court to overturn Roe v Wade and to increase police powers, taking huge chunks out of people’s individual freedoms?

Max Allan Collins, author of more than 100 books, joins with “collaborator” Matthew Clemens (who is acknowledged as preparing the story treatment) to create yet another tightly woven thriller that will keep you engaged to the very last chapter.

Supreme Court Justice Venter is shot and killed in what appears to be a botched restaurant robbery. DC homicide detective Carl Bishop asks retired Secret Service agent Joseph Reeder to look at a copy of the show more surveillance tape from the restaurant. Reeder, who is part of the exclusive club of men who took a bullet for the President, left government service because he couldn’t stand the politics of the man he was willing to die for. He now owns a private security firm. Known as “Peep” for his uncanny ability to read body language, Reeder views the film frame by frame, sees how the shooter is positioned and that the other robber is not surprised by the shooting. The killing was not just a robbery; it was an assassination.

A couple days later another Supreme Court justice is killed at his home. Reeder again quickly sees clues that suggest the two killings are part of a larger plot. The White House wants the plot to be foreign terrorism. Reeder finds himself again in conflict with the White House as he begins to believe the conspiracy is not so sinister. Instead, the shootings may be an attempt to let the ultra-liberal sitting President pack the court with like-minded justices. Because Supreme Court justices have a life-long appointment, the killings could swing the Court to a liberal bias for decades to come.

How do the killers know what Reeder is going to do, almost before he knows himself? Is it an inside job? If so, how deep ‘inside’ does the conspiracy go? Can Reeder solve the crimes – and prevent another killing – before he and his only daughter become victims as well?

Collins has created another great thriller that will keep you turning pages until well past bedtime. The characters, including FBI agent Patti Rogers with whom Reeder is paired, are well-developed and very believable. The premise is downright scary. Would it really be this easy to change the balance of the U.S. Supreme Court?

Note: This review is based on a pre-release edition from NetGalley.com. show less

This excellent thriller introduces former Secret Service agent Joe Reeder who took a bullet for his President but then lost his job when he made his negative opinions about that President to apparent. Now he runs his own investigations agency.

Joe is called in to work on a taskforce by the leader who is an FBI Agent and his best friend when a Supreme Court Justice is murdered. This is the first time in US History that a Justice was targeted. At first, the death looks like a botched robbery. But when a second Justice is murdered, it soon becomes apparent that someone wants to change the composition of the Court. These two murdered Justices were both strongly Conservative, and the President who will appoint their successors is a Liberal show more Democrat.

Joe works with FBI Agent Patti Reeder who is the partner of the best friend who appointed Joe to the taskforce. She isn't sure what to think of Joe who has an unparalleled ability to read people and crime scenes.

The story was fast-paced and filled with tension. I especially enjoyed the quotations by various famous people who are buried at Arlington National Cemetary which is a place Joe frequents when he needs to think.

Dan Jon Miller did an excellent job of the narration. His characters all had distinctive voices and he handled the pacing well. show less

I was pretty disappointed in this book. I picked it up a year or so ago during a free day and then forgot all about it...

I loved the premise and it was super timely even though it's more than five years old. Unfortunately, I really disliked the way every law enforcement officer - regardless of agency or rank - except for Reeder came off like a moron. He was the only one who could catch anything and to make it worse, the other officers and agents would actively doubt him. That alone ruined the book for me. It was just too much.

There was one other issue that I can't seem to reconcile but it would be a spoiler so I won't mention it.

Joseph Reeder is a former Secret Service agent who took a bullet for the president, a man whom he didn't respect and whose conservative politics he did not like in Max Allan Collins' political thriller Supreme Justice. His politics put him at odds with his superiors and coworkers, and he compared himself to Pete Rose, who didn't get into baseball's Hall of Fame due to his gambling, saying that, like Rose, "he accomplished great things, but would spend eternity on the outside."

Reeder now owns a private security company, and is called into help when a very conservative Supreme Court justice is killed during a robbery at a restaurant where Reeder's company provides security. After viewing the security camera footage, Reeder concludes that show more the justice was targeted, and the robbery was a coverup for murder.

A task force investigating the case, consisting of DC local police, FBI and Homeland Security, are all protecting their turf and squabbling amongst themselves as to who the culprit is and what their motives are. Reeder's murder theory is dismissed until another incident occurs, and now Reeder wonders if someone is targeting conservative justices, trying to change the direction of the Supreme Court after they have overturned Roe v Wade and made abortion illegal.

The new president is a liberal, and if he can appoint more liberal justices, abortion could be made legal again. But would someone in the White House go so far as to eliminate justices to change the law back? It is an intriguing premise for this action-packed novel.

Reeder is paired with a young female FBI agent, and his relationships with his former coworkers come into play here. They have to investigate on their own, being careful not to tip off anyone who may be involved in the murder.

Supreme Justice is a fast-paced thriller, heavier on the action than on character development. It is the kind of summer read that you can polish off at a day at the beach, quickly turning the pages to find out if Reeder's theory is the right one. Careful readers may be able to figure out who the culprit is, although there are plenty of red herrings here to throw the reader off track.

As I was reading this, I thought that if it was the 1980's, this would make a perfect Clint Eastwood movie: Reeder is a loner, an honorable man, loyal to his values who ends up caught in a situation only he can resolve.

I'm sure we haven't seen the last of Joe Reeder; this is the kind of character who could conceivably spawn an entire series of thrillers for those who like their action spiked with a dose of political intrigue. show less

Could you take a bullet for someone else? That’s what the Secret Service is prepared to do. Joseph (Peep) Reeder had been a Secret Service agent who had taken a bullet, saving the President’s life. The bullet went in his shoulder shattering his collarbone and tearing through his rotator cuff. He spent several weeks recuperating before returning to a desk job. Reeder resigned and began his own security firm.

Supreme Justice is set about twelve years in the future. After years of conservative Presidential appointments to the Supreme Court, they had overturned Roe v. Wade. But now, there is a liberal President back in the White House. When someone kills conservative Supreme Court Justice Henry Venter, the FBI pulls in Joseph (Peep) show more Reader because of his ability to ‘read’ people by their nonverbal communication. As another conservative Justice is targeted, they begin to embrace the idea that someone may be willing to commit murder in order to get Supreme Court appointees to make up a more liberal majority.

Supreme Justice is built on a great premise. The characters are all well-developed. The author took the touchy subject of politics and made a great story out of it. It doesn’t matter what side of the political scale you fall on, this novel serves up food for thought. I had a problem with one of the scenes. It was a fast-paced scene but later when it was explained … well, the timing just didn’t fit. I’m a little unclear, I know, but it’s due to a potential spoiler situation. I rated this at 4 out of 5.

http://www.fictionzeal.com/supreme-justice-max-allan-collins/ show less

It is a story about ex-Secret Service agent Reeder who is paired with an FBI Agent Rogers and tasked with solving the most shocking series of murders ever to hit our nation's capital. Someone is killing off Supreme Court Justices and, in particular, conservative Supreme Court justices.

There are nine justices on the Supreme Court. Each is appointed by the current President with the advice and consent of the Senate when a vacancy develops through death or retirement. Article III judges such as Supreme Court Justices serve for a term of life. This means that they often outlast the presidents who appoint them and, if they are young enough when appointed, can serve for twenty or thirty years. Supreme Court justices can leave a lasting impact show more on the law and on society by virtue of how long they serve and the momentous issues they deal with. Presidents often try to anticipate how their Supreme Court nominees will vote, but that isn't always easy to predict as Eisenhower found with Justice Warren.

Former Secret Service Agent Joseph Reeder is a member of an "exclusive club" -- those that took a bullet for a president. He is brought into the case by an old colleague because of his special expertise in reading facial expressions and body language.

It is a well-written, fast moving thriller that is easy to read. It is not dense in the way some thrillers are packed, but makes for great, light entertainment. The protagonist is believable. The story flows well.

It feels a bit less dark and foreboding that other works by Collins. It also seems as if it is geared to more of a mainstream audience than say the Quarry series as, despite the murders, there isn't as much brutal violence or overt sexuality in this book. Nevertheless, It is certainly an action-packed story. The opening chapter has blood and brain matter splattered all over an exit and a pink mist swirling around.

I am not sure if it touched on too recent history as compared to Heller, for instance, exploring the JFK assassination, but I didn't like the fact that one of the Justices was too closely linked to a real person.

Overall, this book doesn't blow your mind as Ask Not or Bye Bye Baby does, but it is good old-fashioned entertainment. Enjoy.

The setting for this thriller is a polarized world of left and right politics in Washington. As such, the book is neither pro-left nor pro-right so much as it might be considered a warning about radicalism on either side of the political spectrum. show less