Title: Protect and Serve
Author: Anthony F. Raimondo
Publisher: URLink Print & Media, LLC
ISBN: ‎ 1647532345
Pages: 226
Genre: Mystery & Romance
Reviewed by: Rae Capri
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Faith and belief in God is a personal experience where one must seek out a relationship with their creator to develop a strong bond. Many do not understand the level of importance in this matter due to various reasons involving how they were raised and the traumatic pain encountered in their lives. Despite the setbacks and negative experiences, with the appreciation for life comes the ability to view life from all angles.

In Protect and Serve,  author Anthony F. Raimondo, Ph.D. introduces his readers to cousins Alfonzo Hitali and Mose Dalini, two respected homicide detectives. Mose has a stronger faith in God than Al, though he continues regaining his cousin’s beliefs, from reciting scriptures, listening to pastors giving the word on the radio, or creating scenarios for Al to figure out. In the eyes of Al, after joining the police force and becoming a detective, his faith hangs in the balance because of the cases they solve daily. It does not sit well with his spirit that there are any good people left since the majority of the world’s population is wicked. Growing up, these two have always participated in religious activities, including attending mass. Now that they are older, some days their faith is tested, especially in the occupational field they are in. Both Mose and Al give a whole new meaning to Protect and Serve, as they above and beyond to ensure the safety of their community. As a reader, you gain a bit more of their personalities and begin to notice they are great detectives and even better people fighting the good fight.

On one of their rounds, they meet two women who consider themselves “high-end escorts,” named Tyis and Sage. The detectives invite the women for breakfast per the women’s suggestion. At that moment, you realize these detectives had an idea of what kind of women they were if judged by their style of clothes. But, to have company during breakfast was something they could cherish more. Surprisingly enough, the four of them had an amazing late breakfast spread and shared laughs. Usually, anyone would assume that would be a one-off opportunity, but something about these women made these detectives consider them as friends and women to protect. Humanity lives within those who have God and love in their hearts for their lesser brother. People fall on hard times but that doesn’t mean their value is of lesser quality.

A popular homeless man seems to be a major character in this book, intervening in situations without action, but his voice communicates within the minds of others. A “small voice” if you will call it that, is like something to consider listening to, which depending on what’s said can be a great thing. Mose and Al have experienced this special communication with this homeless man, leading them to believe he is a special person. Tyis and Sage have their experiences with the same homeless man and viewed him as someone radiating love and kindness. Something that stood out to me about this homeless man is even though he wore dirty clothes, he only smelled foul to a select few, and smelled like sweet candy to others. Reading this led me to think, that the people who know and accept Jesus into their lives live delightful experiences because they see everyone as their brother and sister.

This book encourages people to seek out their purpose in life, develop a relationship with God, and always help out someone less fortunate than themselves. In doing so, you are helping another child of God or someone who could very well be Jesus in disguise. The message behind this book lightens that spark within people that probably lie dormant to have a stronghold on your faith. No one ever knows how their actions affect others, but if done in the name of love, it would be worth giving and sharing.

My reading experience with this book has been inspirational and uplifting because no matter what you do or who you are, God is always nearby. The characters whose faith was tested had only pushed them into the right places at the right times. A favorite was the young boy, Tommy McGrath, the son of Detective Kevin McGrath, and his encounter with the homeless man. Although he was suffering from a terminal illness, he was wise beyond his 8-years of life. I was so happy that he had the chance to sit in the park with the homeless man, as I believe the boy knew who he was. The genuine energy shared and exchanged between them made everything worth reading. This left no question that healing by His touch is mighty powerful and the young boy deserved another chance at life. I highly recommend this book to anyone, it is such a beautiful story, which has elements that could relate to others.