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There are currently 22 member reviews
for Crime of Privilege
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Lorraine R. (Southampton, NY)
Crime of Privilege
An entertaining investigative crime novel that exposes the abuses of power among wealthy and politically connected families. The protagonist is a lawyer who for much of his life has hidden from the fact that he protected his wealthy college friends from being prosecuted for a crime of rape. Now, years later, another crime involving this family occurs and he is again being asked to consider his loyalty vs. his values. He elects to investigate the murder of a young girl and this takes him on a journey into the past. Filled with many twists and turns, this crime novel was a fun read. At the same time, it exposed the abuse of power that occurs when families believe themselves to be above the law.
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Laura G. (Buffalo, NY)
Crime of Privilege - only "good"
I was really looking forward to reading this book. It had an interesting premise and a captivating start. Sadly, after taking the reader to many different places and introducing many different characters, it seems to fizzle out. I was left feeling that the writer had a great idea but for some reason wrapped it up too quickly leaving a lot of unanswered questions.
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Sarah H. (Arvada, CO)
Nothing new
This book is compelling and fast paced, you WANT to know what's going to happen. But there is nothing new or unique about it and what makes it "average" for me is the writing. It's like reading a guy's journal, there aren't those literary moments where you want to quote what the author said or wish you had said it yourself.
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Joanne V. (Towanda, PA)
I started out really liking this book, but.....
The first part of this book was really fast paced and interesting. I liked the George Beckett character, the plot and his attempt to "put things right" was interesting, but as the story moved along, the characters were not well developed and I lost interest in his "process" that seemed rather clunky and contrived. The fact that powerful people live by different rules isn't new and I have read several books with the same "theme". I probably would not recommend this to my book group - it is sort of "well, so what is new about this??" I wanted to like it better than I did, but have read so many like it - the short chapters were nice though.
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Julie H. (Pine Grove, PA)
Crime of Privilege
This was a fast paced mystery and a good story. The characters were believable, though not always likable. There were definitely plot elements that brought the Kennedy family to mind and raised the issue of the inequality of the justice system when wealth and power are involved. The plot slowed down at the end, but overall an enjoyable book.
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Joan B. (Ellicott City, MD)
Crime of Privilege
This is a murder mystery of page-turning quality. The protagonist, George Becket, is a persistent, likable, naive young man. For me, the rest of the main characters were a large lump of the entitled "American Royalty". I did not get to really know any of them. The idea that money brings power is repugnant to me. I am sorry that many of us, as free citizens, are willing to accept the privilege that accompanies money and power. I just do not want to believe that money and power puts people above the law.
I love to read and finished the book quickly. However, the theme, as I perceived it bothers me.
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Grace W. (Corona del Mar, CA)
Justice for the Privileged is different
That the wealthy and powerful have a different justice system than the average American is not really a revelation to most of us. Crime of Privilege tracks members of a well-known family from Cape Cod that has extensive political and societal connections. The family, through their minions, is able to hush up crimes and indiscretions done by many members of the extended family. The story is initially told through a series of flash-back and fast-forward scenes. The mystery is written in a first-person narrative from the perspective of a low-level district attorney, who happened to be present at a Palm Beach crime. This attorney, Georgie Beckett, is not a very endearing protagonist. The pacing of the book is quite disjointed and sometimes tedious. Characters and storylines are described in extensive detail and then that particular thread of the story is dropped. I had great hopes for reading this book, yet was mildly disappointed throughout.
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