Operation Wormwood: The Reckoning by Helen C. Escott

Sergeant Nicholas Myra has just been awarded the Chief's Commendation for outstanding leadership during Operation Wormwood; an investigation that had brought down a network of pedophiles in the province of Newfoundland and across the country. A top cop married to the police force, Myra suddenly finds himself struggling with pushing the evil images of the Child Exploitation Unit from his damaged brain. With the suicide of Father Horan, a victimized priest turned police informant, and the acquittal of the one pedophile who got away, Myra is left tormented and unable to function. Thoughts of permanently escaping reality become more and more appealing until a self-imposed 4 week leave from the force causes Myra to re-examine his life. Operation Wormwood: The Reckoning is the thrilling account of Myra's comeback from the depths of despair and the hunt for a serial killer hell-bent on making child-abusing monsters pay for their heinous crimes. 

Operation Wormwood: The Reckoning is Helen C. Escott's follow up novel to Operation Wormwood, a 2019 Arthur Ellis Awards finalist for Best First Crime Novel. In this action packed thriller, readers will be happy to know that the characters Escott developed in the Operation Wormwood novel are back and working harder than ever at attempting to solve the mystery of the wormwood disease that seems to afflict only those who are guilty of sexual crimes against children and adults. Though the crux of this fictitious story centres on the hunt for a serial killer, readers will enjoy the many sub-plots or mini-stories intertwined throughout, each seeming to highlight a theme of retribution and revenge. Whether it's Myra's struggle with PTSD, pedophile Kevin Macy's plot to get even with Myra, or Joseph Franklin's kidnapping, readers will want to keep turning the pages of this 322 page roller coaster ride.  As a trail blazer herself, author Helen C. Escott does a fantastic job at utilizing The Reckoning as a backdrop to highlight controversial topics that would make even the most hardened souls cringe. Suicide, the sexual torture and abuse of children, women and men as well as the role of the Church as an institution of support in society are all areas that Escott touches upon gently and with thoughtfulness in this novel. Her writing garners respect from the audience and sympathy for the characters.

They worked on him at breakneck speed. Blood drained from the patient's nose and mouth, covering his chest and drowning him. His whole body bobbed up and down when he came up for air. He struggled to breathe as he sat up, trying to gulp at the stale hospital air. Agatha and Dr. Gillespie tried to hold him as he flailed around the bed. A shot of pain hit him, and he curled into a ball. Finally, his body slammed back against the bed and stiffened. .... Agatha rubbed her forehead. "It seems like nobody gets out of this ward alive."

Operation Wormwood: The Reckoning is the sequel that readers will love to hate! It's raw emotion is palpable and shocking yet will leave you hopeful in knowing that there are good people in the world fighting for humanity and justice. Hats off to Helen C. Escott on the conclusion to this crime thriller! The Reckoning is a Flanker Press publication.