Customer Reviews

A Perfect Crime

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

What makes this book so readable is its pervasive and sly sense of humor. The author doesn't take himself too seriously and writes hilarious scenes with Roger, Francis' stuffy Harvard husband who spends the day locked up in his basement competing with other high IQ crossword puzzle nerds and writing "IQ 181" on his resume. The interior monologues that cover Roger's thoughts as he plots the perfect murder of his adulterous wife are hilarious. The other character who gets a good dose of the humor is the lovable villain, Whitney (Donald!) who is a total nutcase, convicted murderer and very caught up in his own proficiency level. Exactly when he thinks he's humming along doing something brilliant, we see that he's drinking too much and wandering far from his simple mission to kill Francis.

Some have criticized the coincidences and gimmicks, but I really didn't find them intrusive at all. I think that kind of critique misses the point that the author is creating a somewhat absurd set of circumstances to highlight some of the plotting and conventions of detective stories. For sure, his style is engaging and his characters very well drawn. This book was enjoyable from start to finish and a pageturner to boot.

Others have noted the writer's beautifully crafted prose, exquisitely drawn characterizations, brilliantly rendered sequences, wonderful ear for dialogue. Peter Abrahams may specialize in genre fiction, but he's as gifted an artist and as textured a stylist as any writer of mainline, literary fiction.

A Perfect Crime focuses on the violent consequences of deceiving oneself and misleading others in the context of an adulterous affair. America's premier, fictional adulteress, Hester Prynne, wore the Scarlet Letter openly, and it became the symbol of her redemption. Dimmesdale's scarlet letter, invisible to the eye, burned through his breast and became the fatal emblem of his sin. Francie's scarlet letter is the voice of a conscience that she barely hears and rarely heeds, an echo that whispers of loyalty and friendship in the world of wealth and social status into whose selfish and shallow sophistication she's been successfully acculturated.

Mired in a loveless marriage, for whose failure she bears an equal responsiblity, Francie begins an affair with Ned whom she imagines she loves but who serves as her means of gratifying her unfulfilled sexual needs even as Ned uses Francie to gratify his own desire for a classy and erotically passionate woman whose attentions flatter his ego, Ned having tired of Anne, his somewhat drab, unassertive wife.

When their pas de deux begins to wear thin, Francie tries to bail out of the relationship, persuading herself that she's doing so out of concern for Anne with whom, by chance, she's become acquainted. Unfortunately, Roger, Francie's maniacally jealous husband, who's uncovered the affair and whose soul is tormented by his isolated contempt for the world, entices Whitey, a demented, psychopathic killer on parole, into a scheme designed to further what Roger takes to be his just revenge.

Some reviewers have commented that the story's twists and turns seem contrived. If so, these contrivances parallel the twists and turns of the characters' tangled web of deception and thus seem natural and credible in the way that an expressionist painting might capture the ambiguity of an emotion or the complexity of a character even though the representation may not be photographically realistic.

As with some of the writer's other novels - especially Hard Rain, Pressure Drop, Revolution # 9 and Lights Out - A Perfect Crime deserves to be read twice for an appreciation of its artistry. For example: Chapter 1 lays the groundwork, via a series of skillful, seemingly innocuous double entendres, for the tale that's about to unfold. In Ned and Francie's first intimate moment at the cabin (the first we're privy to), Ned thinks of some detail at work and is temporarily distracted just as Francie is looking to him for an intense response to something she's just said. Ned places his hand on the chill spot behind Francie's neck, knowing without effort (and perhaps, for that reason, without much real attention) how to warm it as he mouthes a platitude, referring to someone else, about those who play with fire running the risk of getting burned. On Ned's way home from making love with Francie, he stops to pick up some ice cream for his daughter and happens to notice some fresh flowers, irises, "always a safe choice. He bought some for his wife."

Ned isn't Heathcliffe and Roger isn't Raskolnikov. Neither is Francie Emma Bovary. But the passions are as raw and as real.

Not that Ira Levin is gone or anything, but his output has slowed considerably now that he is in old age. In any case, though he isn't quite as good as Levin, Abrahams is very close to being so, and that's a tall order I wouldn't have believed any other American suspense novelist to be capable of. In Abrahams' case, his plots are a little less organic than Levin's, not quite so high concept, but he is twisty as all get out and his characters are amazingly real. You really get caught up in their dilemmas even if some of them are just plain bad apples.

Francie is having an affair with Ned because, well, just because. Roger, her husband, is so weird and cold that in a way you don't blame her, and yet on the other hand, as she comes to realize, she is hurting an innocent woman by sleeping with her husband. She gets hung up on this infidelity thing, as her natural decency kicks in once she befriends Anne at the local tennis club. I don't even like tennis but Abrahams is great at evoking the kick of it, the primal tensions it releases, how the game can hook you in and take you to a place you've never been taken before.

I didn't really buy the part about Whitey Truax and why Roger thought he could possibly control him, but to be fair Abrahams builds Roger up as kind of a Nietzchean superman who's dumb as a post, so I guess it fits. Whitey makes you squirm he's so vicious and horny, but there's also a lot of class resentment between Whitey and Roger that's perfectly done, worthy of a Henry Roth or a Zora Neale Hurston. Abrahams is a literary artist, and each of his books presents another technical problem he solves with the assurance and inventiveness of Flaubert. Here, in A PERFECT CRIME, he approaches the heights of THE TUTOR, not only his own TUTOR, but that of Henry James.

Francie and Roger Cullingwood are drifting apart. Roger has been looking for a job for the past year after being fired, Francie is unhappy with her marriage and she has been having an affair with radio psychologist, Ned DeMarco. She is also having doubts with her affair since meeting Ned's wife, who through unforeseen circumstances and coincidence winds up being Francie's tennis partner in an important tournament. Roger finds Francie's love nest and he has decided that he wants her dead but just like any other criminal, he does not want to get caught.

After doing some thorough research he decides to manipulate Whitey Truax into committing a crime in which his wife will turn out dead. Just like any other book things do not turn up as planned and all of Roger's scheming have gone done the tubes into a predictable conclusion. Roger thinks he is too smart and that he has planned for every eventuality and this book shows that is not entirely true.

In reading this novel I was expecting a story similar to A SIMPLE PLAN by Scott Smith. This story has too many coincidences that tempted me to stop reading the book. This is my first Peter Abrahams novel and I will try to read him again in the future. He does a good job with characterization but to me the plot fizzled. There were some loose ends that were not clarified and there were at least two characters in the book that I found to be redundant to the storyline. I do not think removing them would have made any difference but that is just how I feel.

The quality of the writing grabs you on the first page. Characters are drawn with deft accuracy and keen insight. The plot is beautifully developed. It's suspenseful but not in a predictable way: you see what's coming, but trust me: you're still surprised. The grace with which Abrahams accomplishes what seems to be effortlessly unfolding left me thoroughly impressed. The author does not resort to cheap tactics, no easy outs: it's just solid writing. This guy is now near the top of my list of all-time favorite authors. My only question is, why isn't he more acclaimed? If you thought Grisham was good, this makes him pale in comparison. If you think Grisham is mediocre, RUN to your keyboard and order this book, and you can thank me later.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it will not be the last as I really enjoyed this book. It is true that there are some scenes which are a bit too coincidental, but in this case I didn't even care. Perhaps I would have in the hands of a lesser writer, but I found Abrahams' writing style to be top notch.

It is the story of the affair between Francie and Ned who are both married to other people. Everything gets more and more complicated as their lives become entwined. Deception, jealousy, madness and murder...this one has it all!!

If you are looking for a well-written entertaining thriller,and are not too picky about everything being 100% realistic (it is fiction, after all!) look no further!!

"A Perfect Crime" is not a perfect book. That said, it is still worth the read. Interesting characters, a plot that twists and turns. All in all, a thriller that will keep you turning the pages.

As Robbie Burns pointed out so long out, life has a way of throwing a monkey wrench in the best laid plans of man. The planner in this case is one Roger Cullingwood, a self-proclaimed genius seen by others as a weird loser. When Roger discovers his wife is having an affair, he decides to reward her betrayal with death.

Francie, the wife, seems a little too smart to have fallen so hard for the smooth-talking Ned Demarco, a radio psychologist, who declines leaving his wife for fear of hurting his young daughter. Altruistically, Francie agrees to once a week trysts at a friend's isolated cabin, optimistically holding on to the belief her lover will leave his wife for her once the daughter is old enough.

A minister friend insists there is no such thing as a coincidence. Perhaps he doesn't read as much fiction as me. There are a lot of coincidences in this tale, though I suspect Abrahams may be pulling our chains to a certain extent. This is, after all, fiction, and they didn't detract from the overall impact of the novel.

When Francie learns her new tennis partner is Demarco's wife she is plagued by guilt and decides to end the affair, a plan that is derailed time and again while she builds her courage.

Meanwhile, Roger has found a demented killer who he attempts to use as a pawn in his murderous plot. Whitey, the killer, isn't quite as dumb as Roger thinks he is and there are some amusing encounters between the two. For good measure, Abrahams throws in a rural police chief whose wife was Whitey's first victim.

This was only the second Abrahams I've read. I liked it more than the first and I'm going to have to check out some of his other books.

This is a perfect novel about cheaters and what happens when they are found out, but with a twist of an ending.

Easily readable with a smooth plot, likeable characters, and a snappy little moral tale about what happens when we betray the one we love.

A perfect summer-time read on the beach, in the house, or out loud at the bridge club meeting!!!

Two thumbs way way up!

A Perfect Crime is a great psychological thriller that races away at the beginning but becomes slightly derailed at the end. The basic premise is: Francie and Ned are having an affair. Francie's vile husband Roger finds out about it and plans to kill them both. However, the twists and coincidences that occur are startling and exciting and make this thriller into something very original.

I especially loved the backdrop to this thriller. The weather is always cold and icy and the house where Francie and Ned meet in centred on an island and can only be reached by rowing across in a small boat. These elements provide great atmosphere and originality. Roger is diabolical and I enjoyed the contrast between how he viewed himself (clever, self assured) and the way others saw him (strange nutcase!).

Overall A Perfect Crime is a competent thriller with short sections and snappy dialogue. The characters are well developed although certain aspects seemed unlikely such as Roger thinking he'd be able to control Whitey Truax so perfectly that he could commit the perfect murder where he couldn't be implicated. However, this book is filled with suspense and surprises, so you'd be wise to give it a go. I'm glad I did.

JoAnne

There are some really funny scenes in the middle of this book that come out of nowhere, but are so well done, they make this Abrahams book a real winner. Since many have already rehashed the plot, I'd like to focus on some of the characters and subtle ironies that enhance the book. Roger Cullingwood is a perfect idiot, although a brilliant one; some of his rationalizations and thought processes are so bad you have to wonder how he's survived as long as he has. His wife, Francie, has many layers and when she suddenly becomes friends with her lover's wife, it really puts her in a pickle. Anne, the wife of Ned (Francie's lover) is a real whiner, but her depth is brought out once she becomes friends with Francie. Ned, the lover, is a real jerk, and his true personality comes out at the end, and even though you knew it was coming, you still want to bash his head in. The character of Whitey Truax is another one of Abrahams' really sick villains, and his pact with Roger can only end up one way, of course. Who gets murdered comes as a mild surprise, and the clue the person leaves is muddled until you finish the book, flash back and remember why the clue was left. The addition of Joe Savand, the cop whose wife was Truax's first victim, is nice, and his role in the novel comes to a nice fruition in the unexpected ending. Lots of sex talk and gory violence, but it's a great read. I liked it much better than "Crying Wolf," and that was good, too!