Title:	Aftershock
	Author:	Joe Lane
	Published:	2014
	No. of Pages:	382
	Cover Price:	$25.00 Hardcover, $14.25 Paperback, $.99 Kindle

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Joe Lane's Aftershock opens when Colonel Ben Selby is forced by order of Herman Foster, who is patronizing a group of self-serving politicians (are there any other kind?) to send some of his best people on a dangerous mission that will he predicts will surely end in tragedy. Foster orders Major Penelope Baldwin to fly lead, because she is, hands-down, the best. Unfortunately, the mission ends as Selby predicts, and Baldwin loses one of her legs and is almost killed.

On the home front during her recovery, Penelope learns that her mother has invested most of their money in some financial schemes that should be illegal, but has loopholes which allow dishonest men to get rich as they coerce trusting people to invest and lose their money. Pennelope's mother loses most of the money, and while walking Pen's beloved dog, is run down and killed (along with the dog) in a hit and run accident. Pen collects women friends, forms a militia against illegal investment practices, and the women begin killing the men responsible for so many unsuspecting people losing their money. Pen's life is in danger during the entire novel, as well as the lives of her friends. Luckily, they plan their operations well, and law enforcement is stumped and can find no clues to capture this group of brazen women. Even though they are striving for a greater cause, they are still committing dozens of murders.

Although very interesting and fun to read, the scenarios are extremely implausible. In fact, they go way beyond fiction to borderline fantasy. It's fun to see bad guys go down, and the good guys win, but sometimes things can get a little far-fetched, and in this novel that's the way it seems. It would certainly be nice if citizens could do what these women did in the book, and get away with it. There are dozens of twists and turns in the novel, a little romance, and surprises at the end. The author's imagination is very vivid, and for that reason alone, this book is worth reading. The main characters are likable, albeit a bit violent in seeking revenge.

All told, Aftershock is a novel that anyone who dislikes politicians and their corrupt practices will relish. Even though the situations could probably never happen, readers will enjoy the fantasy.

Special thanks to Julia Drake of Julia Drake Public Relations for supplying a copy of this book for an honest review.

This book may be purchased at Amazon:
Aftershock: A Novel (Hardcover)
Aftershock: A Novel (Paperback)
Aftershock.: A Novel (Kindle Edition)