How to write

Miami Assistant State Attorney C.J. Townsend sought revenge after her brutal attack by William Bantling.  Three years later, while Bantling languishes behind bars, C.J. can’t overcome the guilt of her actions.  

One night she receives a call that a cop has been brutally murdered and mutilated while on duty: Victor Chavez, the deputy who arrested William Bantling after an illegal search of Bantling’s vehicle yielded a young woman’s corpse. Subsequent, equally brutal murders point to Florida’s drug underworld, but C.J. knows each of the victims shared a secret of collusion which sent Bantling to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.   She is certain Bantling is responsible for the crimes, but unable to reveal her secrets she suffers in silence.  CJ’s fiancé, Special Agent Dominick Falconetti, knows she is withholding information from the investigation and their relationship is strained to the breaking point.

As evidence previously withheld from the court is brought to light, Townsend must face her tormenter Bantling.  Her career and possibly her life hang in the balance.

Ultimately the author’s determination to bring back Bantling as the prime villain is her undoing. The motivations of Bantling’s accomplice contradict his actions.  C.J. Townsend was a survivor, tough and strong in Retribution, however, she is reduced to a quivering puddle of angst in Last Witness.  I think both she and Bantling would have been better served had their saga ended with Retribution.  Jilliane Hoffman was an Assistant State Attorney in Florida so her legal acumen is spot on, but she misses the mark outside of the courtroom.