The Obsessions of Harvey Usher by David Putnam Book Review

About the Book:

At eighty years old, Harvey Usher lives a quiet, reclusive life, still grieving the loss of his beloved wife, Sylvia. But when a stunning redhead named Rita shows up, claiming to be his wife of two years, Harvey's carefully constructed world begins to crumble.

As Harvey struggles to expose Rita's deception, dark figures from his past emerge from the shadows, forcing him to confront the violent secrets he's kept buried for five decades. With the help of his elderly neighbor Esther and a troubled PI named Eddie Gurski, Harvey races to uncover Rita's true motives before it's too late.

But in this deadly game of cat and mouse, nothing is what it seems. As bodies start piling up and long-buried truths come to light, Harvey must decide who he can trust - and whether some sins can ever truly be forgiven.

A gripping tale of deception, redemption, and the price we pay for the secrets we keep, The Obsessions of Harvey Usher is a masterful thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

My Review:

I have read a few of Putnam's novels and have liked his detective ones. This one is quite different. The pace is very slow. There is not much action in the current timeline. There are many flashbacks to the 1960s when Harvey was an accountant for a mobster. There is some action in that timeline but it seems on the surface to not be connected to current events. In the end, we see how the events are connected and there are fun twists, right up to the last scene.

The characters were interesting but I never really felt engaged with any of them. The plot was not very exciting until near the end. It seems Putnam is experimenting with a new style of fiction. I liked this novel but I do not think it is Putnam's best.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

You can read my review of a previous Putnam novel I read, The Blind Devotion of Imogene.

About the Author:

During his law enforcement career, “Deputy Dave” Putnam worked primarily in California on teams for Patrol, Investigations, SWAT, Narcotics (street level and majors), Violent Crimes, Criminal Intelligence, Internal Affairs and the Detective Bureau.

He rounded out his law enforcement career with a few years in the Hawaiian Islands as a Special Agent–part of a real-life “Hawaii-50” team.

He’s now retired from law enforcement and spends his time growing organic California avocados and writing, with his wife Mary and their three dogs.

Level Best Books, 315 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.)