“…Yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.”
— John 16:2

AK Pittman’s hard-boiled tale, Revelation and Retribution, takes the anarchy of vigilantism to an entirely new level—even to the enormity of murderous lunacy.

Witty and laudably composed, the bloody and villainous anecdote opens in the literary styles of either Donald Goines or Iceberg Slim, save that the setting place is not Goines’ Detroit or Slim’s Chicago, but rather Pittman’s St. Louis. And with a raw and undiluted dialogue, the gifted writer exposes every cold, hard, gritty, ugly, sad, hopeless, and ruthless crevice of it.

Fasten your seat belts and prepare to be engrossed, as the storyline will whip you—like a roller coaster ride—through the rough and tumble lives of those characters which it has cast, at breakneck speed, not slowing down and finally coming to a full stop until it pulls into its end.

With so many intriguing players, all of whom, by the way, contribute superior performances, it is at once a challenge to determine which of them is the star of the show, the main protagonist, if you please. And if you know novels of fiction, then you also know that there can only be ONE main player. One who stands out the most among all the others. One on whose shoulders the plot is carried. One who has that extra special “oomph.”
. . .And here, on the pages of this would-be masterpiece, that particular one is a chain-smoker named Patrick McConnell.

Detective Patrick “Patty” McConnell is to AK Pittman’s Revelation and Retribution what Steve McQueen’s “Lt. Frank Bullit” had been to the Peter Yates directed 1968 classic film, Bullit.
. . .Indeed, this novel under review perspires retroism.

It began with the heinous murders of five sinful individuals. That got the peoples’ attention—including those members of law enforcement.
And then, there were five more murders, just as odious as the quintet that preceded them—all of the victims known sinners. . .evildoers, if you will.
And then there were more, what revolting murders.

Detectives Pat McConnell and his rotund partner, Lou Maguire, are now on the case, chasing a serial killer with a penchant for “justice.” A killer so eloquently dubbed, “Arch Angel.”

Given the nickname by Rosalind “Rosie” Williams, another standout character and fallen journalist, who incidently receives a second chance to resurrect her deceased career at the Daily Gazette, the “Arch Angel” is on a one man mission to cleanse the Earth—particularly the city of St. Louis—of its scourge, namely the wicked and corrupt, who lead lives of sin and lawlessness. And the “Arch Angel’s” murderous methods of remedy are not exclusively for the faint of heart. In fact, the macabre vigilante stands in his own perceived faith, believing, and wholeheartedly so, that his actions are not only justified, but also pleasing to—heck, even commended by…the Ancient of Days Himself.

Here, on these pages, you will come to feel as though you’ve known for a lifetime the three top-billed personae, Patrick McConnell, Rosie Williams, and Father Walter Brown, as you share in their distresses and their frustrations and their anxieties and the whole lot of their continuous strivings with the many spiritual enemies in the combination of their personal and professional lives.
. . .And never is there a dull moment.

I read this book slowly, so as not to finish it too soon. Because with a pagination of two-hundred and forty-six, I knew that it would end before long and I didn’t want it to; I wanted the story to remain. So I took my time and savored it, as if I were savoring a well-prepared meal. Because it is a work so deliciously-written…and delectably structured.
It is an effort exceptional in detail, and well crafted in layout—from its ensnaring beginning to its disentangling end. For it is a favorably recommended prose narrative; a thorough effort that fails to bore. And of it, Pittman should be tremendously proud.

There is a reason why this superb work of fiction is the recipient of a respectable number of five star reviews.
. . .Without question, there is a reason why.

• It is my kindly pleasure to thank AK Pittman for not only authoring an admirable work of fiction, but also for his special gift of a personally signed paperback copy of Revelation and Retribution—addressed to both myself and Reviews by Cat Ellington—in exchange for my honest review.

Analysis of “Revelation and Retribution” by AK Pittman is courtesy of Reviews by Cat Ellington: https://catellingtonblog.wordpress.com

Date of Review: Sunday, July 02, 2017

Note to the author: Thank you, AK, for the autographed issue. Know for a surety that it will be forever loved, well cared for, and honorably cherished.

— Cat Ellington