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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