Monday, July 22, 2024

Aubrey Nye Hamilton Reviews: The Blind Devotion of Imogene: The Misadventures of Imogene Taylor


David Putnam, former California law enforcement officer, put his name on the crime fiction map with 11 well-regarded books about ex-cop and paroled ex-con Bruno Johnson. Putnam has been branching out a bit recently with sheriff’s deputy Will Donnelly and homicide detective Dave Beckett but still staying within the construct of policework. With his newest book he travels further afield, to the life of a paroled chain-smoking elderly lady who spent 10 years in jail for murder.

The Blind Devotion of Imogene: The Misadventures of Imogene Taylor (Level Best Books, July 2024), released July 9, is an alternately entertaining and somber look at the life of a parolee who had few resources before spending time behind bars and even less now that she is a convicted felon. The only job Imogene Taylor can find is in a rundown scratch and dent store in a low-rent strip mall. Her parole officer relentlessly looks for ways to demonstrate Imogene has violated the terms of her probation, leaving Imogene in a constant state of fear. At the age of 73 she knows she won’t survive prison to be released a second time.

Her neighbor thoughtfully maintained her house while she was gone so Imogene does have a roof over her head. She also has her neighbor Suze to confide in. Suze’s father dies as the book opens and Imogene is busy trying to support the bereft only child. Suze’s mother left years ago when Suze was small so Suze is the only person left to handle everything. In clearing out the junk-filled garage, they find the body of a long-dead woman. They both assume it’s Suze’s mother. Suze is horrified, believing her father killed her mother, and Imogene is terrified that her parole officer will twist this discovery around to blame Imogene for a second death. They agree to hide the body a second time.

Then a thug visits the stores in the strip mall and tells them what will happen if they don’t start paying him protection money. And Imogene gets a visit from Eugene, her assigned Secret Service agent. While she was in prison, she wrote a series of threatening letters to the president of the United States. Her letters were convincing enough for her to become an object of interest to the Secret Service and whenever the president is in the vicinity, Eugene stops by to check on Imogene. The book that she wrote while she was incarcerated is another thread. Imogene is a woman of many parts.

This is an offbeat story full of eccentric but relatable characters. It seems overlong in places but the rambling narration reflects the stream of conscious inner dialog of Imogene’s mind. Putnam has planned another two books about Imogene; it will be interesting to see what she’s up to in the next volume. For fans of unusual character-driven crime fiction.

 


·       Publisher: Level Best Books (July 9, 2024)

·       Language: English

·       Paperback: 246 pages

·       ISBN-10: 1685126170

·       ISBN-13: 978-1685126179

  

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3A23Zqk

 

Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2024

 

Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.

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