Review by Allen_Wayne -- An Imperfect Crime

Allen_Wayne · Post by **Allen_Wayne** » 23 Oct 2018, 21:28

[Following is a volunteer review of "An Imperfect Crime" by Fred G. Baker.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Not so often we come across crime thrillers where a pastor solves the crime. An Imperfect Crime is a promising crime-mystery-thriller novel by author Fred G. Baker who is known for his versatility. The author’s narration of mystery revelation little by little kept me on the edge the whole time. I dug deep into the story and found no plot holes but only a reassuring page turner.

The story begins when three long-time friends - Peter Simpson, Allister Brown and Sarah Parker, try to commit a “perfect” crime. The plot takes a turn when Peter ends up in prison as a death penalty convict for murdering his friend Allister. Peter meets Father Guillermo Montero in the prison. Montero, then, begins to dig into Peter’s case and joins Detective Lori Sanchez, who handled the case. They both decide to uncover the truth behind Allister Brown’s death. Meanwhile, Lori Sanchez also works on a drug trafficking case in Phoenix city with her partner and figures out the felons who are responsible for it. The story revolves around two scenarios and the unraveling of the two is clearly represented.

Among the diverse characters that are depicted, Montero and Sanchez's roles are well developed. Montero’s personality is captivating, as an ex-soldier and ex-cop turning into a priest are quite rare. Sanchez, on the other hand, a dutiful and an honest cop, strives hard to bring culprits and lawbreakers to justice. Her character portrays a brave and tough woman, the qualities which can be appreciated, especially, in the setting where she had to escape from horrid drug lords in an undercover operation by fighting and shooting them singlehandedly. It was lovely to witness the friendship between Montero and Sanchez evolve gradually to the point where one becomes other’s life savior.

A huge leap can be observed occasionally from a descriptive to conversational style of writing. The author experiments various expressions of writing, the transition remaining not so subtle. The page fillers too, being scarce but forthright, apart from helping us get back to reality a few times, stay as a downside to this novel.

I would rate the novel 3 out of 4. The author has given justification to the genre and the expectations of the reader. Although the novel ends with an announcement to the sequel, I would say it is the magnetic lines that kept me in denial of the end for some time. Finally, I would recommend this book to the ones searching for a sensational mystery story to experience.

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An Imperfect Crime
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