The Fundamentals of Murder by William F. LoveBook Details
Publisher: Endeavour Press, Kindle edition, 327 pages
Publish Date: February 13, 2017
Genre: Fiction, Mystery, Crime Thriller
Source: NetGalley digital edition
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Synopsis Auxiliary Bishop Francis X. Regan, a frustrated crime-solving paraplegic with an IQ of 220, and his special assistant Davey Goldman, a New York City cop-turned-private-eye, once more find themselves embroiled in a high-stakes case of murder and embezzlement. A serial killer, dubbed Strangler John by the media, has been terrorizing the streets for weeks. On four consecutive Friday nights, a woman has been murdered, her garroted body discovered the next day with a card reading REPENT! thrust into her mouth. Despite enormous amounts of public pressure, the police have no leads…at least until Jerry Fanning arrives in the Big Apple. A young fundamentalist preacher, Fanning arrives in New York City from Oklahoma, wife and baby son in town, convinced that the Lord has sent him to convert the entire city to Jesus. Unfortunately for him, he arrives two days before the first murder, and it doesn’t take long before the police uncover clues pointing to him as Strangler John. The evidence is circumstantial, but it’s enough for Fanning to suddenly find himself behind bars. Fortunately for him, he’d met Bishop Regan and Goldman during his short-lived mission to convert the citizens of the Big Apple to Jesus. Convinced that the police have the wrong man, the Bishop puts his razor-sharp mind to work, delving for clues among the victims themselves. Three of the victims were prostitutes; the fourth was a wealthy businesswoman who moved in high social circles. Determined to find the reason for this discrepancy, the Bishop turns to Goldman’s contacts, street smarts, and leg-work to find the answers they seek. Between the Bishop’s brain and Goldman’s brawn, they’re convinced it’s only a matter of time before Fanning will be exonerated… ~Goodreads
My Review
The book description sounded very intriguing to me and I wanted to like this book but I could never really get into it.
The story is told through the eyes of Davey Goldman, a private investigator and ex-homicide detective with NYPD. Davey also works part-time as a special assistant to a Catholic Bishop named Francis Regan. Bishop Regan is a very intelligent man who happens to be paraplegic due to a gunshot wound he suffered six years ago. Bishop Regan gets pretty cranky and Davey is witty and sarcastic which leads to a strange and rocky relationship. Despite their bickering and bantering they use the Bishop’s brains and the David’s investigative street-smarts to solve crimes together.
One day a man named Jerry Fanning shows up and asks to see Bishop Regan. He says he had a vision of Jesus telling him to go tell Bishop Regan about Him. Jerry had only arrived in New York a few weeks before from Oklahoma. Before leaving, Bishop and Jerry pray together and Bishop Regan tells Jerry to let him know if he ever needs anything.
Jerry Fanning ends up taking the Bishop up on the offer not long after when he is suspected of being the serial killer the media has dubbed “Strangler John”. The evidence against Jerry is circumstantial and after meeting with Jerry in jail, the Bishop is convinced of his innocence and agrees to help him.
The Fundamentals of Murder was not a bad story but it wasn’t a great story either in my opinion. I liked how the author used wit, humor, and sarcasm throughout the story. I found myself laughing out loud at times. The overall story just did not keep my attention so I give this one a 3 out of 5 stars.
Thank you William F. Love, Endeavour Press, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review.
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