Reader's Review: "Behind The Mask" by J. D. Cunegan

Synopsis from Amazon:

It’s hard to be a hero when everyone’s out to get you. Once upon a time, Jill Andersen considered herself a hero. Not just because of the badge handed to her by the city of Baltimore and the pledge she once made to protect and serve. Her secret life, as the vigilante Bounty, had allowed Jill to protect her native Baltimore in ways her day job never could. But all that has gone to hell now. One case pushed Jill past her limits, to the point where she made choices she can’t take back. As a result, the entire city is on the lookout for her. Allies can no longer be counted on. People who were once in her corner might very well be trying to bring her down… to say nothing of those she has crossed along the way. But that is the least of Jill’s problems. A shadowy figure emerges among the chaos, and his link to Jill’s past has the potential to be her ultimate undoing. Jill thought every link to Project Fusion has been settled once she solved Dr. Trent Roberts’ murder almost one year ago, but if she’s not careful, her past might just kill her.

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My Review:

Full disclosure, it's been two years since I last read a Jill Andersen book. But here's the good news: I fell right back into all the feelings, everything was just like I remembered, and I got hooked on this installment just as easily as the rest of them!

Where to begin, though? Let's start with the basics: The characters. Cunegan shines with his diverse cast, who each respond to different situations with an authenticity that makes them seem real when you read their names. Everyone from Jill herself, to Ramon, Juanita, Richards, McDermott, even David Gregor (the snake!) all have their own quirks, the way their mind works, the things they say, and their tendencies--and Cunegan's writing shows the shine and polish that comes of years of practice. They are the leaders of the story, but the whole thing doesn't revolve around them. Every choice made by these characters comes with its own set of consequences, and very often those consequences affect other characters, and when you put all that together into a book, it tells a story.

Then there's the plot. As I stated at the very beginning, there's a whole-series arc that connects the books in a long-running "game" between the protagonists and the antagonists, and Cunegan's sense of continuity really is the thing that enables the reader to pick up the next book a full two years later and still feel like virtually no time has passed.

But it's not all about the series--one has to keep the individual story for the book moving, or it leaves the reader feeling like something is lacking. There was no lack of interest here! The surprise appearance of a "copycat vigilante", coming right on the heels of Jill's very public admissions in the last book, tests the relationships of her allies and seems to play right into the hands of the enemies trying to take her down--but it also gives the reader a glimpse into what Jill is like when she can just set aside her badge and become Bounty... but also what she could potentially become if she goes even further and sets aside her own moral code as well. It's a master storyteller that can provide a high-stakes superhero adventure while also giving the reader meaningful food for thought in the process!

Behind The Mask lives up to its title: there are a lot of "masks" and "un-maskings" happening here, and glimpses beyond the front that these "masks" try to hide, and the exposure that results as the "masks" begin to crack, and more and more people see what lies behind it: a true hero? Or a dastardly villain?

It should come as no surprise that I would give this book a full *****5 STARS***** and add to it the Upstream Writer Certified DEFINITELY RECOMMENDED endorsement. I'm a big fan of Cunegan's work, and I cannot wait to find out what happens in the next book!

Further Reading: (Also By The Author/ Crime Investigations/ Urban Fantasy/Superheroes)

The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan
       -Bounty 
       -Blood Ties 
       -Behind the Badge 
       -Behind The Mask *(This Book)

-Notna--J. D. Cunegan 

Judah Black Series--E. A. Copen
       -Fortunate Son (prequel novella)
       -Guilty By Association 
       -Blood Debt 

Stories of Togas, Daggers And Magic--Assaph Mehr
       -Murder in Absentia

       -In Numina

The LouisiAngel Series--C. L. Coffey
        -Angel in Training 
        -Angel Eclipsed 
        -Angel Tormented

Manhunters--Jesse Teller
       -Song

-Beasts of Babylon--E. A. Copen 

The Grave Reports--R. R. Virdi
        -Grave Beginnings 
        -Grave Measures 
        -Grave Tidings (novella) 
        -Grave Dealings