The Blind Devotion of Imogene by David Putnam Book Review

About the Book:

In 1973, Imogene Taylor is seventy-five years old, on parole for murder, and works at a store that sells dented canned goods. Twelve years earlier, she went to prison for killing her love-of-her-life-husband, Wayne. She called it an accident. The judge and jury called it murder. Imogene’s parole agent is constantly on her case, looking to send her back to prison.
During her time in prison, Imogene had to vent her angst at someone and sent the sitting Presidents (during the ten years in prison) threatening letters bringing her to the attention of the Secret Service. She does extensive research and writes a novel, Peekaboo POTUS, about the assassination of a US President. She sends the book "over the transom" to one publisher. The publisher, after being unable to contact Imogene, comes looking for her.

The Cigar, an organized crime gangster, walks into Dentco, where Imogene works, and extorts the store for protection money. Pay up or get firebombed. The entire strip center is under this threat.

At the same time, Imogene’s neighbor dies of natural causes and leaves a hoarder’s mess to his daughter, Suzanne. Imogene helps Suz clear out a pyramid of boxes filled with junk in the garage. At the bottom of the pile, they find a box with a dead woman who has been hidden for many years.

Imogene must dodge an overzealous parole agent while dealing with a dead woman in the neighbor’s garage. She’s on parole for murder, so she can’t report it to the police. No one would believe her. Imogene and Suz think the woman in the box is Suz’s long-estranged mother. Rather than reveal Suz’s father as the probable killer, Imogene convinces Suz to bury her mom under the avocado tree in the backyard. Until Thelma, Suz’s mother, appears after reading the obituary.
It's a race to uncover the real killer as Imogene dodges gangsters, family members, and a publisher on her quest to find the truth.

My Review:

I have read some of Putnam's Bruno Johnson series, intense mysteries, so this novel was a complete surprise. While Putnam excels in retired police adventures this time he has a paroled convict as a heroine. And what a heroine she is. The character development is superb in this novel. I was soon rooting for Imogene and the troubles she faced. Beer drinking and two pack a day, she became a woman I really admired. The supporting characters were well presented too, from a mean parole officer to a gossipy neighbor. They added depth to the narrative. There is a bit of humor included to lightened the atmosphere of the story.

The plot was enjoyable. I like how Putnam makes us wait to find out why Imogene was convicted of murder. I liked the clever way a potential murder next door to Imogene turned out to be something entirely different than she expected. I liked the extra pressure on Imogene by the gangster fellow. The final scene, though suspenseful, might have been a bit convenient. Nonetheless, I was greatly entertained by this novel and will be watching for the next in the series with more adventures for Imogene.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

About the Author:

During his career in law enforcement, best-selling author David Putnam has worked in narcotics, violent crimes, criminal intelligence, hostage rescue, SWAT, and internal affairs, to name just a few. He is the recipient of many awards and commendations for heroism. A Lonesome Blood-Red Sun is the second novel in the Dave Beckett, Bone Detective series. Putnam is also the author of the very popular Bruno Johnson series. The Sinister is the ninth novel in the best-selling Bruno Johnson Crime Series, following The Disposables, The Replacements, The Squandered, The Vanquished, The Innocents, The Reckless, The Heartless, and The Ruthless. Putnam lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, Mary. Find out more at DavidPutnamBooks.com. 

Level Best Books, 282 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Swell Media. My comments are an independent and honest review.

(My star ratings: 5-I love it, 4-I like it, 3-It's OK, 2-I don't like it, 1-I hate it.)