Jilliane Hoffman adds a new twist to the legal thriller: a prosecutor faced with a suspect who raped her while she was in law school. After years of struggle, C. J. Townsend has reinvented herself and moved on with her life after the brutal attack that left her clinging to life. Now, faced with her rapist and the chance to make him pay for his crime, she relives the terror of the assault while confronting legal and ethical dilemmas that threaten her mental stability and the state's case against a possible serial killer.
Hoffman's characters are well drawn and complex. She adds a hint of romance, but the main feature of Retribution is the plot and C. J.'s attempt to gain retribution for her assault while bringing justice to the killer's victims.