Tears of the Innocent (Trail of Tears) by M.N. Thomas

Tears of the Innocent, third in the Trail of Tears series (see our review of M.N. Thomas's first book in the series, Princess of the Desert), is one of those novels where you desperately want to know the ending, yet you don't want it to end. Tears of the Innocent is a wonderful and exciting mystery, police and foreign intrigue story about two emotionally damaged individuals, a former-FBI agent and his transgender fiancé, who with the assistance of some supportive associates, seek to right a serious but deeply concealed societal wrong. It also features another main character, a very believable, superhero-like transgender operative who has been subjected to the vilest of brain washing and forced feminization. It is a continuation novel of the type that triggers the full range of human emotions in the reader. Sad, exciting, provocative, titillating, it touches into the darkest aspects of human behavior and degradation.

Well-written and brilliantly edited, the plot weaves in and out, unfolding many secrets and twists along the way. It is a novel about prejudice and redemption, one that this reviewer cannot say enough good things about. A sad and haunting love story, it provides a revealing mirror into male/female relationships and gender roles and stereotypes. Because there is some review of the prior books provided, it is not necessary to read the earlier novels in this series to get full value from this book, but just know that the author's earlier associated works are all exceptionally good and worthwhile reads that will evoke many of the same feelings while assisting the reader to get up to speed about the general theme. By the conclusion, Tears of the Innocent leaves the reader wrung out and wanting more.

Reviewed by Samuel