Retribution by Sarah Barrie

Publisher's Synopsis

Ace hacker, ex-prostitute, Jack Daniels drinker and part-time vigilante Lexi Winter is now working with the police, with a new enemy in her sights and an old foe on her mind.

Most probationary constables would baulk at chasing a drug dealer into a train tunnel in the dead of night - not Lexi. But when she emerges, injured but alive, to face the wrath of her boss it's clear that while Lexi may now be in uniform, she has as much trouble with authority as ever. Just to prove it, Lexi is quietly using her hacking skills to investigate a notorious drug-dealing Sydney crime family with links to her old prey, the paedophile Damon Vaughn. As her colleague Detective Sergeant Finn Carson investigates a death on a Sydney building site that leads him to the picturesque Wondabyne train station on the Hawkesbury River, Inspector Rachael Langley oversees an enquiry that is becoming ever more complex as multiple lines of investigation seem to interweave. What they don't know is that Lexi is the only one who can unravel them - if only she'll toe the line.

My Review of Retribution by Sarah Barrie

Retribution is the highly energetic follow up to Sarah Barrie’s first Lexi Winter novel, Unforgiven. She started off as an avenging vigilante who took down paedophile denizens of the dark web. She’s now become a little more legit, having earned her probationary constable stripe in the New South Wales Police force. But she’s still the same driven, rule-breaking force of nature as she ever was. 

While learning the ropes under the tutelage of her seasoned partner Rico, Lexi is also putting in many long hours tracking down the child predator Damon Vaughn and his partner Debbie Reynolds. Her quest has led her into the midst of the notorious Hamill crime family. To take down Vaughn and Reynolds she has vowed to also take down the Hamills, but they are ruthlessly protective of their patch and are willing to wreak all kinds of vengeance on anyone who gets in their way.

Inspector Rachael Langley heads up a murder investigation that places the Hamill family firmly in the crosshairs and, understanding the value she can add to the case, draws Lexi in despite her low official rank. 

Meanwhile, Detective Sergeant Finn Carson has his hands full with a suspicious death on a building site. The chief suspect has gone missing and was last seen getting off a train up on the Central Coast. He also makes use of Lexi’s superb observational skills and her remarkable computer savvy.

There are many moments of great violence throughout the book, but this is also tempered by the ongoing development of the three principal characters. It’s not always smooth sailing but we are getting a great feel for what makes each of them tick along with a great sense of mutual respect that is clearly developing.

But there’s a constant question that demands to be answered throughout this book and, I don’t know if it was. Is Lexi Winter suited to the rules and regulations imposed on her by being a police officer? She challenges the ties that bind her with her vigilante tendencies repeatedly slipping out and it remains a sore point for all concerned. We’ll see how things play out as she careens into the next book in the series.  

The pace is frenetic with multiple cases demanding the attention of Rachael, Finn and, of course, Lexi. However, her presence in the homicide squad isn’t appreciated by all members of the team and this creates an air of tension to go with the pressures of the job. On top of that is the ever-present danger of the Hamill family who are looking to seek retribution.

Retribution benefits from a strong cast of characters, an over-the-top nasty crime family and plenty of sharp dialogue that injects good doses of humour between some full-on confrontations. 

This is a wonderful sequel to the first book in the series (Unforgiven) and has established Lexi Winter as a character I want to read more about. This is high quality stuff.