Review by RebaK8gc -- An Imperfect Crime by Fred G. Baker
Posted: 15 Sep 2020, 22:57
[Following is a volunteer review of "An Imperfect Crime" by Fred G. Baker.]
An Imperfect Crime, written by Fred G. Baker, is one of the best crime/mystery novels I have ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story starts when three people, friends from their college days, are discussing how to bring attention to their newly written books, and get them into print. Peter Simpson, Allister Brown, and Sarah Parker, come up with an idea for a supposed murder, per the plot that Simpson uses in his latest manuscript. In this plot, all the evidence is set up to clearly point to the perpetrator, but, at the last minute of the trial, the "victim" suddenly shows up. The perpetrator is cleared of all charges and is set free. Sounds crazy, right? Well, as it turns out, things go very, very wrong. So wrong that Simpson himself, the supposed perpetrator, ends up on death row, facing execution for a murder that never happened. Father Guillermo Montero, a priest working with the justice system, councils the young man just before his execution. He believes that Simpson was innocent, and makes it his quest to find out what went wrong. He teams up with Detective Lori Sanchez, who also suspects that something is not quite right with the whole scenario. Together they work through a roller coaster ride of twists, turns, unexplained disappearances, human trafficking, and drug dealers, to find the truth.
The plot of this book is extremely well-written. Each chapter holds a new surprise. There is no way to predict the outcome, nor where the evidence will lead this rather unusual investigative team. The suspense of not knowing where the plot would go next really drew me into the story. The author's portrayal of the inside workings of the realm of law enforcement was realistic. Events were described in such clear detail that I felt I was intimately part of the action and emotion in each scene. The writing overall was excellent.
The book does contain scenarios that could be upsetting to those who are sensitive to the subject matter. These include human trafficking, rape and attempted rape, sexual abuse, and drug related violence. All such scenarios were part of the story line and were handled in a straightforward manner. Profanity is used throughout the book, but it is always realistic to the scene and fitting to the characters involved.
I wholeheartedly give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I would love to read additional books by this author. I hope there is a sequel to this one, as the book ends in such a way that a sequel could easily be developed. The book was clearly professionally edited, as I found no errors in grammar or punctuation.
I would recommend this book to every person who enjoys murder mysteries and good detective stories. It was a very enjoyable read. I would recommend the book for adults only, however, due to the graphic nature of some scenes, as mentioned. I do not think anyone who enjoys this genre would be disappointed. This book is just the thing to read while curled up on the sofa on a cool rainy day, with a blanket and a cup of whatever one's favorite hot beverage would be.
******
An Imperfect Crime
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
An Imperfect Crime, written by Fred G. Baker, is one of the best crime/mystery novels I have ever read. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The story starts when three people, friends from their college days, are discussing how to bring attention to their newly written books, and get them into print. Peter Simpson, Allister Brown, and Sarah Parker, come up with an idea for a supposed murder, per the plot that Simpson uses in his latest manuscript. In this plot, all the evidence is set up to clearly point to the perpetrator, but, at the last minute of the trial, the "victim" suddenly shows up. The perpetrator is cleared of all charges and is set free. Sounds crazy, right? Well, as it turns out, things go very, very wrong. So wrong that Simpson himself, the supposed perpetrator, ends up on death row, facing execution for a murder that never happened. Father Guillermo Montero, a priest working with the justice system, councils the young man just before his execution. He believes that Simpson was innocent, and makes it his quest to find out what went wrong. He teams up with Detective Lori Sanchez, who also suspects that something is not quite right with the whole scenario. Together they work through a roller coaster ride of twists, turns, unexplained disappearances, human trafficking, and drug dealers, to find the truth.
The plot of this book is extremely well-written. Each chapter holds a new surprise. There is no way to predict the outcome, nor where the evidence will lead this rather unusual investigative team. The suspense of not knowing where the plot would go next really drew me into the story. The author's portrayal of the inside workings of the realm of law enforcement was realistic. Events were described in such clear detail that I felt I was intimately part of the action and emotion in each scene. The writing overall was excellent.
The book does contain scenarios that could be upsetting to those who are sensitive to the subject matter. These include human trafficking, rape and attempted rape, sexual abuse, and drug related violence. All such scenarios were part of the story line and were handled in a straightforward manner. Profanity is used throughout the book, but it is always realistic to the scene and fitting to the characters involved.
I wholeheartedly give this book a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I would love to read additional books by this author. I hope there is a sequel to this one, as the book ends in such a way that a sequel could easily be developed. The book was clearly professionally edited, as I found no errors in grammar or punctuation.
I would recommend this book to every person who enjoys murder mysteries and good detective stories. It was a very enjoyable read. I would recommend the book for adults only, however, due to the graphic nature of some scenes, as mentioned. I do not think anyone who enjoys this genre would be disappointed. This book is just the thing to read while curled up on the sofa on a cool rainy day, with a blanket and a cup of whatever one's favorite hot beverage would be.
******
An Imperfect Crime
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon