What do readers think of Crime of Privilege by Walter Walker? Write your own review.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

If I could give half stars I would give this book 3.5 stars I would. I really wanted to love this book. It started out really promising, I liked the narrators voice, and was glad the reader was able to find out the details of the Palm Beach sexual assault. The first half of the book really held my attention and I had difficulty putting it down because I wanted to find out what happened next. Unfortunately, it took a little too long to get to the end. I thought it was a little far fetched that Kendrick Powell's family would keep tabs on George that many years later. I just wanted George to shout at Andrews, "For goodness sake, I was just a kid!- I am not in the Gregory's pocket, and am not involved in any cover up!"

That being said, I did like the ending and would recommend this book for someone who is a fan of John Grishman and David Baldacchi.