Getting Away with Murder: A New Benny Cooperman Mystery [Hardcover]

Howard Engel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 1998 | Series: Benny Cooperman Mystery

In his most baffling case ever, Benny is awakened by three unsavory thugs who drag him out of bed and present him like a trophy to notorious crime boss Abram Wise. Mixing past and present, murder and Middle Eastern food, and fashion and auto repair, Engel delivers another thoroughly satisfying mystery .

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Three hoods abduct private investigator Benny Cooperman in the middle of the night and take him to see Abe Wise, Canada's most infamous unconvicted crook. Someone wants Wise dead, so Wise, using what has worked for him in the past, forces Benny to discover a name. Chief on the suspect list are Wise's two ex-wives (one alcoholic and one snobby) and two children (both spoiled), but Benny also interrogates Wise's old friend, his second-in-command, and a police contact. Pretty straightforward plotting, then, as well as direct prose, and a slight-but-steady whiff of Canadian atmosphere. A pleasant read for fans of the series.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Fans of the Canadian Jewish detective Benny Cooperman know that Benny's laid-back style is a great antidote to the posturing of the hard-nosed PIs so common in detective fiction. But just because Benny is a bit more gentlemanly than most doesn't mean he's a pushover. Gangster boss Abram Wise is well aware of that when he coerces Benny into finding out who is trying to kill him. Of course, big-time crime guys have lots of enemies, but Wise is convinced he's being targeted by someone he knows, and after taking a look at Wise's dysfunctional family, Benny seems to agree. The only thing that intrudes is a niggling suspicion about a murdered policeman and a sensational crime that took place long ago. Readers will zoom in on the villain a bit sooner than Benny does, but that won't kill their enjoyment in the story, which has enough complications to keep the pages turning plus an ending that brings everything together quite nicely. Stephanie Zvirin

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Overlook Hardcover (March 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0879518294
• ISBN-13: 978-0879518295
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,051,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very good characterizations as well as a good storyline, February 24, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Away with Murder: A New Benny Cooperman Mystery (Hardcover)

Canadian Private Investigator Benny Cooperman is comfortably sleeping in his bed in the small town of Grantham, just outside Niagara Falls when three thugs drag him out of his house and escort him to Abram Wise, a crime boss who has never tasted prison. Abe hires Ben to investigate who and why someone suddenly wants him dead. Abe makes a disinclined Ben an offer he can't refuse.

Ben begins to investigate by talking to Abe's angry ex-spouses and his even more irate children. Ben soon finds a connection between Abe and a recently murdered ex-police officer, who apparently allowed the crime lord as a rookie thief to escape arrest. As Ben gets closer to uncovering the identity of Abe's wannabe assassin, he places himself in danger from the same culprit, who plans to eradicate one crime king and anyone else who might get in the way.

The ninth novel in the Ben Cooperman mysteries is a well written tale that should please Howard Engel's innumerable fans. However, though the story line is exciting and the engaging ending quite good, GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER is just not at the level of Benny's previous eight adventures. Benny remains as lovable as ever, but Abe seems more of a caricature (without being satirical) of Brando's Godfather, thereby leaving this book a notch below its predecessors.

Harriet Klausner

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thanks, September 24, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Getting Away With Murder (Benny Cooperman Mysteries) (Paperback)

i found this book incredibly helpful in getting away with what i did... i think a sequel should include more on what to do if you actually get caught. stuff such as how legal maneuvers to make it look like your innocent. i don't think i would have looked as guilty as i am if i had read this before the cops chased me around LA.
-O.J. (last name omitted to protect authors identity)