4.5 stars.

Monument Road by Michael Wiley is a riveting mystery which features a former death row inmate who is struggling to reintegrate to society while at the same time working as a investigator for the nonprofit that helped overturn his conviction.

After stopping to help brothers Duane and Steven Bronson late one night, Franky Dast is eventually arrested, convicted and sent to death row for their horrific murders. Eight years later, after his tireless work on his appeals and aided by the Justice Now Iniative, his conviction has been overturned and Franky has been released from prison. Franky might be no longer incarcerated, but many people, including his brother Jared and Bill Higby, the detective who arrested him, have no doubt that he killed the teenagers. After Bill is arrested for shooting and killing Joshua Skooner, his neighbor and son of prominent judge Eric Skooner, Franky is gleeful about his nemesis's plight. However, he quickly comes to the conclusion that Bill might be innocent and Franky's subsequent investigation unexpectedly leads back to the Bronson brothers' murders.

Franky might no longer be physically in prison, but he is not exactly free from the effects of his incarceration. He vacillates between the highest of highs and the lowest of lows as he tries to adjust to his new life. Despite his adjustment issues, he jumps headlong into working for the Justice Now Iniative where he goes to extreme lengths to help exonerate prisoners who have been wrongly convicted. Franky is highly intelligent and relentless in his pursuit of the truth but his impulsivity and volatility do not always result in the best decisions. He refuses to take no for an answer in his zeal to find answers and Franky frequently skirts the boundaries of respectable behavior when confronted with recalcitrant witnesses.

Monument Road is a well-executed mystery that takes a stunning turn when Franky uncovers evidence that hints at shocking corruption and wrongdoing at the highest level in the justice system. Franky is a complex character who is surprisingly sympathetic despite his erratic behavior and ill-thought out decisions. The plot is engaging and Michael Wiley brings the novel to an action packed conclusion. This first installment in the Franky Dast Mystery series is sure to be a hit with fans of the genre. ( )

Freed after spending eight years on death row for a crime he did not commit, Franky Dast now works as an investigator for the Justice Now Initiative. But he’s not able to move past the events that cost him eight years of his life and isn’t certain he should help the detective who testified against him all those years ago and who now faces a murder charge himself.

Investigating for Justice Now, Franky learns more about the murder charge against Detective Higby; Franky hates the man and wants him to be guilty of the crime. But as he learns more about the circumstances and about the people involved, he realizes there is much more to the case than he’d first thought.

Despite his release from prison, many people still believe Franky is guilty of the murders that wrongfully incarcerated him and he realizes he must prove himself innocent of that crime before he can make headway in the Higby investigation. Can Franky learn what really happened that night on Monument Road?

This gritty narrative explores the psychological state of those released from prison after several years in an unforgiving prison system and offers readers a starkly realistic view through Franky’s interactions with others. By turns, Franky will make readers sad, hopeful, angry, and scared as he makes choices that seem self-destructive and yet are part of his learning how to be free after spending so many years as an innocent man on death row.

The characters are well-developed and believable; unexpected twists and turns keep readers guessing until the final reveal. The narrative itself is grim, dark, stifling, and brutally raw. Sometimes it is difficult to read. But its honesty is both compelling and mesmerizing. Put this one on your must-read list.

Highly recommended. ( )