Above Suspicion [Paperback]

Joe Sharkey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1996 | Series: Above Suspicion (Book 1)

Mark Putnam is a rookie agent when he is assigned to the FBI's forlorn and dangerous outpost in Pikesville, Kentucky. He and his wife are determined to make it work, but his illicit involvement with a coal miner's daughter turns into a fatal attraction that leads him to commit murder.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The grim story of FBI agent Mark Putnam, who murdered his mistress in an eastern Kentucky mining town.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Rookie FBI agent Mark Putnam was pleased with his assignment to an office in the hill country of Kentucky as it would allow him the freedom and independence to make a name for himself and get ahead. He began cultivating informants and pursuing bank robbers and chop shop operators. One of his informants, Susan Smith, an attractive drug user with connections among the rural underworld, was one of the most useful and one of the most troublesome. Becoming emotionally (and financially) dependent on Putnam, she began to inject herself into his personal life, finally taking advantage of Putnam's troubled marriage and seducing him. This tangle of motives and loyalties ultimately led to a confrontation wherein Smith threatened to reveal that she was pregnant. Allegedly, she also attacked Putnam physically, and he responded in the heat of the moment by strangling her. Sharkey makes both this scenario and Putnam's subsequent actions to cover up the crime psychologically believable. By implication, Sharkey condemns the FBI for encouraging the use of paid informants, but the force of his story lies in the sharp characterizations, the human drama, and the tragic inevitability of its conclusion. For all popular true crime collections.
- Ben Harrison, East Orange P.L., N.J.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 310 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Mass Market Paper (May 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312953941
• ISBN-13: 978-0312953942
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,664,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars i have to say , as a person who reads true crime stories oft, July 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Above Suspicion (Paperback)

i would like to say that , as often as i read true crime stories, this is the first defendant that i have ever actully felt sorry for and i would like to know how he is doing. i feel that the author did a wonderful job of putting all of us in his PLACE and i wonder how he is doing in custody and how his family is doing. i would like the author to respond if he can. i have never felt sorrier for anyone.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not your ordinary true crime story., September 9, 2000

By 

Kathryn (IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Above Suspicion (Paperback)

This book differs from many of the true crime novels by the author writing a story in which you almost feel sorrier for the killer and his family than that of the victim. Also the setting differs from many of the others in this genre. The setting is in the Appalachian Mountains in the county seat of Pike County - Pikesville, Kentucky. Though the story isn't fast-paced, it does not drag either. Although, I've read more interesting stories; the names Ann Rule and Aphrodite Jones come to mind; this is a novel that you want to continue reading to find out what happens. As another reviewer says, it would be nice to find out what has happened to Mark, Kathy, and Danielle Putnam. If you like a book where the killer is not a sleezebucket with many problems, has a conscience and could easily be someone you know and trust, this book should be one you should look into.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Above Suspicion, January 7, 2001

By 

Nita (Camden, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Above Suspicion (Paperback)

I like to read true crime books, and this one was very good. This book made me feel very sorry for the criminal and his family. After reading this book, I wanted to know so much more about Mark Putnam and his family. I could not find anything on the internet relating to the crime. Oh well, I am interested in reading another book by Joe Sharkey now. If anyone finds a website that has info on this subject, please email me.