Book Review: Roll Call by Glenn Langohr

Roll Call: A True Prison Story of Corruption and Redemption
by Glenn Langohr

• Paperback: 734 pages
• Publisher: BookSurge Publishing (August 9, 2009)
• ISBN-10: 1439246084
• ISBN-13: 978-1439246085

Synopsis:

Roll Call is a true prison story with a cast of characters that include Mexican drug cartels, Southern California street gangs and Hell's Angels all fighting for their piece of the drug culture. In the middle of it all, B.J. is hell bent for destruction until he realizes his destiny in the nick of time.

Add a good detective squeezed out of the loop by an overzealous narcotic detective; a robust prison union trying to call the shots; a handful of drug criminals trying to find their conscience and you have the perfect recipe for a revolutionary uprising, bound by blood, all leaving the reader wondering, who are the real criminals?

My Review:

Benny Johnson who is known as B.J. has a complicated childhood; a controlling father, a mother trying to keep her family together, and a fierce drive to support himself and his brother. His downward spiral begins when he decides to go to Mexico and set himself up to deal drugs. The trip leads to meeting and scheming with various people from ex-cons, neighborhood dealers, to the deceitful upper class. B.J. considers himself a Christian who acknowledges he is a sinner. His entire life is spent trying to make decisions with an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other.

The author, Glenn Langohr, spent a decade in the California Prison system for drug charges. He is no stranger to how life works behind bars. Between Langohr’s gifted writing and criminal experience, readers of Roll Call receive the raw truth behind drug addiction, prison life, and fighting to walk the line.

While, B.J. is a fictional character, much of his story, and other incidents in Roll Call are based on actual events. There are many different characters in Roll Call, and it is interesting to see how they all interact and affect each other. It’s a roller coaster ride following B.J. on his ups and downs. It felt like when he was trying hard to stay straight, there was either temptation dangling in his face or someone trying to keep him down, specifically a detective that received gratification when B.J. was in pain.

Purchase your copy of Roll Call  - Amazon

--