Rating: 
Summary: Time Warp!!!
Review: I have been an avid reader of Griffin's books for years now,... I was suprised to find that the characters of Final Justice have time warped 30 years into the future without explanation or aging. Key characters have disappeared or transformed into different positions since the last book (which supposedly only took place six months ago). At first I though I was confused until I saw similar observations by other readers at this site. Having said that, I still enjoyed the book immensely, but I would hope that future books in this series returns to the 1970's, and we can pretend this episode was a dream.
Rating:
Summary: Anachronistic - Time out of Mind
Review: I have read almost every WEB Griffin book and generally like them a lot. I refuse to read the "Soldier Spies" series. The Badge of Honor series has been pretty good. Though in this last installment for some reason we have a time jump of nearly 30 years (all the other books in the series were seemingly set in the early 1970s). It is disconcerting to say the least. Now we have digital cameras and Sport Utility Vehicles, and the same cast of characters. One almost has to wonder how much writing is being done by the real "W.E.B. Griffin" and how much is being "ghost written" by someone with an outline.My biggest problem with the books by this author is the terrible editing for continuity. The Brotherhood of War is the worst. Given the author's propensity for covering the same period of time over and over again from different perspectives, it would seem reasonable to make sure the details, such as unit numbers, place names and so on were consistent between books. Attention to detail as my drill instructor used to say. I think "The Corps" has been his best series by far, but the huge leap in time from the end of "In Danger's Path" to "Under Fire" leaves a lot of story lines unresolved, and skips over the Iowa Jima phase of the war entirely - you would have just expected all the usual suspects to be involved. It is obvious that a sequel to "Under Fire" continuing the saga through Korea is in order, but I would like to see much more attention paid to the details and closing up loose story lines.
Rating: 
Summary: Another guilty pleasure
Review: I liked this better than Griffin's last book (in the Corps series) and I liked this one better than the last Badge of Honor issue. I agree with the criticisms of this and other W.E.B. Griffin books. They are all pretty much the same, fish out of water rich boy serves in the Army, Marines or Police. Finds he is really suited to a life of adventure and meets other good guys in the series, very quickly falls in love with some beauty, has sex and then gets drunk on scotch. What's not to like? I counted up the various Griffin books, I've read them all (over 30) and they are all virtually the same, and yet I love them like I love Cheetos and beer. Just can't put them down. I'll make time to read these books. I liked this one a lot and the inconsistancies were not as pronounced as with his last work. Relax and enjoy the ride (or chase as the case may be).
Rating: 
Summary: Time Warp?
Review: I love the Badge of Honor Series. At least I have loved every book up till this one. Either Griffin has slipped into senility, the book was ghostwritten by someone with almost no knowledge of the previous books or the editing at the publisher has gone way downhill but the inconsistencies in the story kept me from being able to enjoy the book at all.
Lets start with the biggest flaw. The previous books were set in the mid 1970s. This book is set in present day, and the characters have not aged a bit, and no explanantion is given as to how the series jumped the intervening 27 years or so. It even states in the story that only 6 months have passed since the events of the last book. This, more than anything else really bugged me about this book. This fact led to all kinds of other minor, but annoying changes that really detract from the story.
Next, characters were inexplicably changed. Jason Washington, who in the last book was a Sargeant, is now a Lieutenant about to be promoted to Captain. He and Tony Harris are back in Homicide, and Inspector Weisbach is with Internal Affairs, not with Special Operations.
There are many other small, but highly annoying things in this book. I really cannot recommend this book to anyone.
Rating: 
Summary: A letdown
Review: I read the sixth book of this series when it was first released and was so taken in by the characters and the world they inhabit that I immediately purchased and read the previous five. I had been looking forward for months for this book to arrive, and was sadly disappointed. First and foremost, the first six books of this series took place in the mid-1970's. With the seventh installment (the Investigators), no references that would have revealed the year were made. Now, supposedly six months have passed since the action in the Investigators, but everyone is carrying cell phones, and watching The Sopranos. This alone was enough to make me almost stop reading. In addition, significant characters were suddenly gone without explanation (the mayor, the police commissioner, etc.), and others appear to have changed jobs. There is so much discontinuity between this book and the others that it almost seems like a new series. Finally, one of the things I like so much about the earlier books in this series is that Mr. Griffin created complete characters and told readers about both their professional and personal lives. This novel shared little about what is happening in the lives of these people that I have come to know over the years.
Rating:
Summary: What Happened?
Review: I totally agree with Mr. McCann's observations but I still found the book quite readable. I am a former Philadelphia Police Department detective who was assigned to the Intelligence Unit back in the early 60s. And, as I also lived on Rittenhouse Square (like the book's hero, Matt Payne) I found the Badge of Honor series particularly interesting. Part of the fun was trying to identify who the characters really were. But this book ruined that part of the fun for me by jumping so far forward in time with no explanation as to why that happened. Notwithstanding the leap forward, I enjoyed reading the book. I just had to pretend it had nothing to do with the previous books in the series. If you are not a dyed-in-the-wool Griffin fan, you will find it well worth reading. It is one of those books that you have a hard time putting down and hate to read because you know you will be finished too soon. The only reason I could not give it 5 stars was the time problem and the dopey little errors that sneaked through and annoyed me. For example, when the man "standing" next to the D.A. in the courtroom stood up when the judge entered. Nonetheless, I am anxiously awaiting Mr. Griffin's next book.
Rating:
Summary: Continuity Problems Compounded
Review: I'm normally a big fan of Mr. Butterworth's fiction. It's kind of like literary popcorn -- not something you want every day, but pretty darn irresistible in the right context. But even the casual reader of his series would admit that the books have some continuity problems. Simple things like the spelling of a name or the number of children in a family change from book to book (and, sometimes, within a single book). Unfortunately, "Final Justice" takes continuity problems to a whole new level. The first seven books of the "Badge of Honor" series took place in the early 1970s in Philadelphia. I expected "Final Justice" to be a logical continuation of the series. But early in the book, when a minor character pulls out a cell phone to call the police, I knew we weren't in 1974 any more. In fact, the book takes place in modern-day Philadelphia. But none of the recurring characters have aged, and the text states the events in the last "Badge of Honor" novel took place only six months ago. Normally, Mr. Butterworth is such a good storyteller that I can dismiss his continuity errors as a minor annoyance. But to expect his audience to forget that all of the previous books in the series took place 30 years ago strains the credulity of even the most casual reader.
Rating:
Summary: Final Justice: A Badge of Honor Novel
Review: I've been reading this book for a few days, now, and I'm getting more irritated as I get further into the book. Who talks like this? I can't believe the police do or for that matter, anyone does. I certainly don't. And I'm not inferring that the police are idiots, either. Matt Payne is chasing a guy fleeing the scene of a car crash and the guy is described as a young, tall, white male 15 times from page 229 to 231. And, Mother? Please! All in all, the story is good, but it could have been boiled down to a shorter book if you take out all the ridiculous language. Tell Griffin to get real!
Rating: 
Summary: Great entertainment from a great writer
Review: In FINAL JUSTICE, Griffin again delivers what has made him the popular, best-seller that he is -- characters like you and me who are doing their doggone best in extra-ordinary circumstances. These are people we come to know and care about. You cringe when Matt Payne suffers from the memory of his murdered girlfriend. You cry when his sister the shrink attempts to analyze and treat him. You laugh when Mickey the reporter makes a mockery of those who deserve it. And you cheer when the good guys chase the bad ones. Unfortunately for Griffin, this remarkable ability to create such compelling people and their stories causes some readers to hold him to an extremely high standard. So, there's a time jump? It's okay -- because this is a terrific tale. It's great entertainment!
Rating:
Summary: insightful police procedural
Review: Instead of going to law school and becoming an attorney in the prestigious family firm, Matt Payne joins the Philadelphia police force. At first, everyone connected to Matt, on the job and off, thinks this is something he has to get out of his system before returning to the "proper" fold. Matt however solves some high profile cases and eventually becomes a respected detective. When he passes his sergeant's exam with the highest score, he obtains his wish a transfer to homicide. From the day he arrives there, he gets in the middle of the action, helping his superiors on a robbery that ends up with a woman and police officer dead. He's also assigned to work the case of a rape murderer who has to be caught before he strikes again. In the middle of all this, he is assigned to baby sit a movie star in town to raise funds for charity. Matt Payne may be an excellent police officer but he also has to learn that he is not a superhero before he implodes. Fans of police procedurals have a treat in store for them when they read FINAL JUSTICE as readers observe a day-to-day look into the workings of a police department and the toll it takes on an individual officer. W.E.B. Griffin humanizes the police officers he writes about so his audience feels sympathetic towards them and hope they are not killed in the line of duty. The final call on this novel is a winner for the audience. Harriet Klausner
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