Book Review: "Vigilante" by Robin Parrish

Summary from BN.com: Nolan Gray is an elite soldier, skilled in all forms of combat. After years fighting on foreign battlefields, witnessing unspeakable evils and atrocities firsthand, a world-weary Nolan returns home to find it just as corrupt as the war zones. Everywhere he looks, there's pain and cruelty. Society is being destroyed by wicked men who don't care who they make suffer or destroy.

Nolan decides to do what no one else can, what no one has ever attempted. He will defend the helpless. He will tear down the wicked. He will wage a one-man war on the heart of man, and he won't stop until the world is the way it should be.

The wicked have had their day. Morality's time has come. In a culture starving for a hero, can one extraordinary man make things right?

It's been a while since I read a Robin Parrish book. This is not because I don't like his writing but mainly because I am still in the middle of his Dominion trilogy and just haven't had the time to complete it. However when I saw that this book was a complete standalone, I knew that I wanted to read it. I was right because once I started reading, I could not put the book down.

While I was reading this book, two superhero movies immediately came to mine: Batman from Batman Begins/The Dark Knight and Spiderman from the Spiderman trilogy. Both of these characters as well as Nolan Gray decide to take things into their own hands as they feel that they cannot rely on the proper authorities to do what is right. They are fed up with all the evil that is going on in the world and are using whatever ways they can to make it happen. Like Bruce Wayne, Nolan comes into money and uses technology and learned skill to make his tactics work. Like Peter Parker, Nolan feels that he can no longer sit around and watch as people suffer.

This book was non stop action. I literally had to pull myself away from the pages because I found myself completely glued to the story. There are so many elements in the book that make everything work. One thing I am super glad that Parrish did NOT include was any sort of romantic interest from Nolan because that would have taken completely away from the story. Nolan's tactics may not always have been ethically correct and his ultimate intent gives a lot to think about. While there are faith threads that do come up occasionally throughout the story, not once does it ever feel forced unto the reader.

One of the more awesome things that happened while I was reading this book happened while I was reading this book at lunch one day. I had this book with me to a restaurant as I was eating by myself. The waiter asked me what I was reading, and I was expecting the normal routine of I show the book and the waiter acts like they are interested but really they are not. So it was my utter surprise when the waiter KNEW the book and author! I was totally shocked as this book had just come out and also since it's Christian fiction, I rarely find anyone in real life who reads it. It was a very pleasant surprise.

This being said, I honestly loved this story and want to recommend it to everyone that I come across. It's not really like any other book that I have read but I knew once I started that I was going to love it. I know now that I need to finish the Dominion trilogy because Parrish is an author that has caught my attention for good. HIGHLY recommended.

Vigilante by Robin Parrish is published by Bethany House (2011)

This review copy was provided for a blog tour with the Christian Fiction Blog Alliance