The Killing of Mindi Quintana [Hardcover]

Jeffrey A. Cohen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 16, 2010

"The crime at the heart of the story is brutal, senseless, sensational...and [the novel is] more than memorable--it's haunting."

            --David Bradley, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author of The Chaneysville Incident

 

"Clever, twisted and ultimately insightful, Jeff Cohen's The Killing of Mindi Quintana upends legality and redefines justice--a dazzling debut novel."
            --Burl Barer, Edgar Award-winning author of Body Count and Murder in the Family

A killer with a book... A lawyer pushed too far... Freddy Builder kills Mindi Quintana and is writing the book about their relationship everybody wants--it's a lying rewrite of her life and of their miserably thin involvement. Excerpts appearing to acclaim, a televised trial is in the offing, and a new celebrity killer takes the stage--the iconic poet-murderer, a jailhouse literary sensation. Freddy's straight arrow lawyer plays his sworn role as advocate; but as Freddy builds his fame with the bones of his victim, he finds himself dreaming of justice. And of comeuppance. For a killer with a book. For fame through the backdoor of murder.

Editorial Reviews

Review

...Cohen's one of the freshest, brashest voices to come out of the Philly legal machine in a long time. Every dime-a-dozen lawyer in Philly seems to be a  formulaic writer of some degree, he's set a new bar for writing in the city of brotherly love! --http://www.noircon.info/2010/02/killing-of-mindi-quintana-new-voice-for.html

...It's a lot like watching an episode of NBC's The Office, except it's in reading form...I found the book's plot to be engrossing; if a bit scary, considering the parallel to many real life "celebrity killers" today. --http://truecrimebookreviews.com/2010/03/killing-mindi-quintana-jeffrey-cohen/

The Killing of Mindi Quintana is attorney Jeffrey A. Cohen's first novel, and not surprisingly, it's a legal thriller - sort of. But it's also a psychological thriller and a commentary on society and the justice system.

--Rough Edges

Cohen is a hot shot Philly lawyer turned high tech entrepreneur. Success upon success has crowned his efforts, & now he's reinvented himself as a best-selling mystery author. His first book is a clever legal thriller.

 

--Burl Barer

This book is captivating and to me each chapter felt almost like another story building on another. --Life of a Busy Wife

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Welcome Rain Publishers (May 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566499585
• ISBN-13: 978-1566499583
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,127,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jeffrey A. Cohen is a writer, trial attorney and technology entrepreneur residing in Philadelphia. He has written on legal issues, including short stories and articles such as "The Black-White Disconnect: A Conversation with Author David Bradley," on the O.J. Simpson trial, and "Eight Days a Week," on legal ethics.

A graduate of the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Cohen specialized in appellate, class action and mass tort litigation before entering the business world. He has sold four of his companies to publicly traded entities since 1996 and now writes full time. He is currently at work on his second novel, A Plea for Leniency.

Until April 2008, he served as CEO of Teleperformance Interactive, the automated technologies company he sold to Teleperformance in 2004. Teleperformance is the world's leading customer relations management company with more than 80,000 employees.

I'm always open to discussing my novel and the topics surrounding it. Please reach out to me around the web:

http://twitter.com/jeffacohen
http://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffreyacohen
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jeffrey-A-Cohen/247309272830

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new author to watch!, April 22, 2010

By 

Christopher Goldrick "ChrisGBooks" (Bucks County, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Killing of Mindi Quintana (Hardcover)

A truly great first effort. This novel is fast paced and defies convention in that you know (from reading the title!) that a murder will occur. It evolves into a complex character study, both of the subjects of the novel and the modern media world in which we all work and live. Would make a terrific book club selection as there are so many facets to the story that are available for interpretation and/or discussion. This is not just a crime novel, it is a commentary on our society and those with the power and courage to make a difference.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Story, Great Writing, April 23, 2010

By 

Brian Zubatch - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Killing of Mindi Quintana (Hardcover)

I found The Killing of Mindi Quintana to be a fantastic read. I finished it in one marathon sitting despite having to work early the next day. The book seamlessly takes you through the murderer's evolution from a sympathetic, love struck (wannabe) artist, to a conniving, fame seeking murderer. Jeffery Cohen keeps the story flowing by combining humor, romance and murder under the umbrella of a criminal's quest for fame and the public's fascination with rogue celebrities (think OJ).

One of the highlights of the book is the author's creative writing style. It is not often that a new writer combines a great story with great prose, but in this case, Jeff Cohen excels at both. He is clearly a writer to keep an eye on in the future. Anyone interested in a timely, well written and most importantly, highly entertaining book should read The Killing of Mindi Quintana.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When You Get the Rhythm of Cohen's Writing..., April 5, 2010

By 

Kim Cantrell "Soap Box Bandit" (Tennessee) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Killing of Mindi Quintana (Hardcover)

(What's this?)

Frederick Builder is a gifted China retail display creator, working at Chanet's Department Store in Philadelphia.

But he believes his true calling in life is to be a writer.

After reconnecting with old friend Mindi Quintana, Builder all but begs the magazine publisher to print his stories.

When she politely declines and offers constructive criticism, Builder kills her.

What follows is a true-to-life media love affair with "The China Manager." Everybody wants a piece of Builder, and he's more than willing to Quintana's murder as a step up the celebrity ladder.

But will Freddy get more than he bargained for?

When I first started reading The Killing of Mindi Quintana by first time author Jeffrey A. Cohen, I'll admit I had quite a bit of difficulty getting into the rhythm of the book.

After a while, however, I realized Cohen writes in an unedited, unembellished style. The best way I can describe it is that it's a lot like watching an episode of NBC's The Office, except it's in reading form.

Once I grasped this concept, I found the book's plot to be engrossing; if a bit scary, considering the parallel to many real life "celebrity killers" today.

And I love Cohen's sense of humor. There's a funny side lurking within this guy and his delivery is so subtle, he'll zing ya before you realize it. Next thing you know, you're cracking up.