Heather’s Bookshelf: The Image of Valor
Author: Gary Corbin
Released: 06/30/26
Genre: Police Procedural
“Val sat rock-still in her seat, all eyes boring down on her. She cowered under their gaze, her wiry, five-six frame shrinking into the chair. Her legs seemed to dangle from the chair, not touching the floor. Everyone seemed taller than her. Older. Wiser. Stronger. She was no longer a confident, grown woman, with street experience as a cop and detective, but a pre-pubescent child, bearing fresh scars and burying secrets deep inside.”
“The Image of Valor” is book 7 in a series: Valorie Dawes Thrillers. Book 5 was previously reviewed here. This book was reviewed as a standalone.
Val Dawes is a member of the WAVE (Women’s Anti-Violence Emergency) squad within the Clayton City Police Department, focused on protecting women and investigating violent crimes against them. She’s the youngest-ever detective and has a supportive and loving boyfriend. Everything seems to be going well, until it doesn’t.
When a woman is left murdered and brutalized with a message on the body, Val is assigned to the case. One murder is quickly connected to more dead women- seemingly connected to a therapy group focused on individuals with body issues. The killer known as “The Engineer” seems to be targeting women he deems to have “defective” DNA.
Val goes undercover in the therapy group to further investigate and try to protect her friends that are members. Will her investigation reveal the killer or will she get herself into a situation that she can’t even get out of?
Trigger Warning: violence, murder, sexual situations, adult language, reference to rape, reference to torture/branding
Overall, I enjoyed this story. While the tale is part of a series, the book was reviewed as an independent tale. It was easy to do so, as the author pulled forward snippets of missing information without making it seem odd or redundant. A majority is told through the POV of the main protagonist, Detective Val Dawes. There are also some pieces told through ancillary characters and through “The Engineer’s POV”. Overall, I found the protagonist to be self-deprecating but strong and determined. She provided a clear voice that also followed the case in a way that allowed the reader to discover the evidence along with her. Her relationship with Gil provided a secondary storyline that added to her background and also made her seem much more vulnerable, which complimented the case. There were several ancillary characters that were well developed including Gil, the doting boyfriend, Pinkie, the quirky barista, and Shelby, the friend/transgender woman who recently went through a terrible trauma. However, the other police officers were all seemingly interchangeable and a little confusing about their motivations, personalities, and who was who. Following the case keeps the pacing of the story moving forward. The ending confrontation with “The Engineer” is tense and suspenseful. However, the final resolution becomes a bit convoluted, detracting from the rest of the tale. It does feel resolved, which I appreciate, especially in a book found in a series.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A police procedural with a strong protagonist, some well-developed ancillary characters, a fast-paced case, but a bit of a convoluted ending.
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