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    Silent Joe
    Silent Joe
    Silent Joe
    Audiobook10 hours

    Silent Joe

    Written by T. Jefferson Parker

    Narrated by James Daniels

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Scarred for life by a brutal father, Joe Trona found a safe haven and a loving childhood in the home of the couple who adopted him. Now he spends his days as a deputy for the Orange County sheriff’s department and his nights as a driver and aide to Will Trona, the influential politician who rescued him from the Hillside Children’s Home. An expert in firearms and the martial arts, Joe has been backing Will up for a long time. Still, his skill isn’t enough to keep Will alive, and when his father is killed right in front of Joe’s eyes, the young deputy vows to avenge him. But first he must find out how the kidnapping of a tycoon’s daughter, a scam to line the pockets of Will Trona’s political enemies, the murder of two Guatemalan immigrants, the unholy activities of a charismatic minister who’s a close friend of the Trona family, and the strange alliance of two rival L.A. gangs are connected to Will’s death.

    Every secret Joe uncovers leads deeper into his beloved father’s murky past and ultimately his own. But the reader stays right with this extraordinary man as he battles his demons and ultimately vanquishes them.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateMay 16, 2017
    ISBN9781543612295
    Silent Joe
    Author

    T. Jefferson Parker

    T. Jefferson Parker is the author of numerous novels and short stories, the winner of three Edgar Awards (for Silent Joe, California Girl, and the short story "Skinhead Central"), and the recipient of a Los Angeles Times Book Prize for best mystery (Silent Joe). Before becoming a full-time novelist, he was an award-winning reporter. He lives in Fallbrook, California.

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    Reviews for Silent Joe

    4/5

    123 ratings8 reviews

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    • 4/5
      T.Jefferson Parker has fast become one of my favorite authors .He has shown both the light and dark side of his character.The humanity both good and evil with its human strength and foibles. The plot races at a breakneck speed through twists and turns with the characters showing sides of themseleves that are totally unexpected.
    • 5/5
      Second time, just as good, beware those California Quail….
    • 4/5
      "Silent Joe" tells the story of fatherly love and admiration mixed with a strong desire to be accepted and to succeed.Joe's face was scarred as a baby when acid was thrown in his face. His birth mother deserted him and his father of record ended up in jail for this crime.As we see Joe, he is the driver and bodyguard for his father, Will. He's also a sheriff at a local jail.This is a psychological novel in which we see Joe as an extremely polite, mild mannered man. He states that the happiest day of his life was the day Will and Mary Ann Trona adopted him.One night, while driving Will, tragedy occurs. In what was to be Will's rescue of an eleven-year-old kidnap victim, Will is shot down before Joe's eyes. Joe kills two of the shooters but the leader escapes. Through the remainder of the story, Joe attempts to piece together the events leading up to the shooting and to bring to justice those involved.There is a connection to gangs operating in Orange County, County politics and the details of the missing little girl.The story is well told and entertaining. Joe is a well developed and unique character. There are a number of surprises along with well written dialogue."Save your friends, spend your enemies." was one of Joe's father's favorite sayings.Through it all, Joe finds love and acceptance and a place in the reader's memory as an entertaining character with a story to tell.
    • 4/5
      I have heard of T Jefferson Parker for years, but for some reason had never picked up one of his books. That will be changing. This novel is an Edgar award winner, and deservedly so. The story is of Will Trona, a young man who was disfigured as a toddler by his father throwing acid in his face. He spent some time in an orphanage, but is eventually adopted by a local law enforcement officer. Will grows up and follows in the footsteps of his adopted father. When his father is later killed in front of his eyes, Will must do everything in his power to find out who did it.Excellent mystery and excellent characters come together for a thoroughly enjoyable read.
    • 3/5
      I had somehow missed hearing of T. Jefferson Parker until I saw that he had won the Edgar for Best Novel not once, but twice. The first, in 2002, was for Silent Joe. It's a standalone novel of Orange County, California, and one thing that came immediately to mind as I read it was "No wonder they went bankrupt!" The Orange County of Parker's book (and evidently this is his preferred setting) is rife with political corruption, greedy developers, racial tension, gang violence, and people with secrets. In a way, this is a coming-of-age novel -- a genre I've grown to dislike immensely. But in Parker's hands, with the added attraction of a mystery to solve, it's more than just bearable. Silent Joe Trona, the narrator and protagonist, is a young man who grew up burdened with a horribly disfigured face, the result of his father throwing acid at him when he was a baby. After spending the first five years of his life in a very nice orphanage, Joe is adopted by Will and Mary Ann Trona and learns what a happy childhood can be. Will was originally a sheriff's deputy (with a wealthy wife) and later becomes a county supervisor. Joe has followed in his footsteps and works in the county jail by day, but nearly every night he acts as a combination chauffeur and bodyguard for his father. There is a lot of moral ambiguity involved here as Joe sees money changing hands, evidence that Will is cheating on Mary Ann, and other odd things -- and yet he still hero-worships his father. One night they are trying to retrieve a kidnapped child and things go horribly wrong; Joe spends the rest of the book trying to solve his father's murder and makes some surprising discoveries along the way.Plot, setting, and character - this book has it all and was richly deserving of its award. It won't be long in my project to read all the Edgar Best Novel winners till I'll be reading Parker's second winner, California Girl and I am looking forward to it. But I must say that, based on this novel, Parker's Orange County is a place I will visit every now and then, but I wouldn't want to read several of his books in quick succession.
    • 5/5
      T. Jefferson Parker is an excellent writer; his characters are detailed, complex, and well-drawn; his plots are complicated, twisting, and completely believable; and his prose is wonderfully descriptive without being heavy or tough to read. Silent Joe lives up to Mr. Parker's standard. In fact, it is one of my favorites of his books now. I felt bonded with the characters. Silent Joe, the main protagonist, is the adopted son of Will, a tough businessman in a town in California. Joe was burned with acid when he was a child, and Will rescued him from the children's home and gave him a normal life and love. So when Will is killed, Silent Joe feels compelled to find out exactly what happened and why. It is his homage to his adopted father. Along the way, Joe meets June, a beautiful woman who sees beyond the scarred face. Joe unravels layer after layer of mystery & secrets as he investigates Will's death; eventually he even learns some secrets about himself. I enjoyed the intricacy of the plot, the story, the supporting characters .... but most of all I read the book for Joe.
    • 4/5
      Excellent as always. Joe is a great character.
    • 5/5
      Will Trona, Orange County Supervisor, is gunned down in front of his 24-year-old adopted son and protector, Joe. Joe mourns the loss of his father and ponders his inability to protect him. Joe, who has facial scar tissue resulting from his father throwing acid at him as an infant, was adopted by Will and Mary Ann when he was five. Joe vows to get justice.Through an exciting web of kidnapping, blackmail, extortion, hired guns and violence, Joe tracks down his father's killers. A person who repels others due to his appearance, Joe also finds love in a radio reporter, June. The story is fast paced. The action is constant. The writing is impeccable. The story drew me in from the beginning and I couldn't wait to get to the end. I wasn't disappointed with the ending. You like the good guys, even Will, who you find out was in the thick of the blackmailing, but with good intentions. Joe is truly likeable, shy, quiet, watching but rarely talking. This is my first T. Jefferson Parker book. It won't be my last. That's for sure.