Past Imperfect (Hardcover)

by Margaret Maron (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The fatal shooting of off-duty detective Michael Cluett, recently transferred from Manhattan to Brooklyn and days short of his 40-year tenure, sets off the series of intertwining investigations pursued in Maron's engrossing procedural. After the shooting, lieutenant Sigrid Harald, Cluett's boss in Manhattan, learns that he and her own boss had worked with her father, also a policeman, and may have shared a dark secret about his death in the line of duty many years before. The subsequent killing of the computer operator checking on the Cluett murder weapon suggests police involvement and leads Harald to probe her father's death. Alternating with the narrative of her search is the voice of Jarvis Vaughn, a black police detective from Brooklyn whose first-person account gives an intimate view of the internal investigation. Providing continuity and atmosphere with details of the snowy cityscape, Maron ( Corpus Christmas ) writes a terse, technically expert police procedural, its hard-boiled plot undiluted by sentimentality.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
Looking into the murder of Mickey Cluett, an incompetent cop disliked by most of his peers, Sigrid Harald, the daughter of a cop killed on duty, discovers that this case might provide a clue to her own father's murder. Reprint. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 183 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (January 1, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385413645
• ISBN-13: 978-0385413640
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #754,602 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hope it comes back into print - a MUST read in the series, November 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: PAST IMPERFECT (Sigrid Harald Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

I don't understand why several of the BEST books in the Sigrid Harald series are out of print. For my money, this series is even better than the Deborah Knott series, though I like them both enormously.

To make matters worse, because Sigrid's character changes so dramatically (but believably) during the series, it's imperative that the books be read in order. And "Past Imperfect" includes some critical developments in Sigrid's life.

I regret that I gave away the copy I'd bought used, as my sister is now eager to read it. Given the difficulty in finding copies, and the prices for the used copies, it appears I'm not the only one who wants this book back in print. If you come across a copy - grab it and read it.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hopefully, a new printing will become available, July 22, 2001

By	L. Quido "quidrock" (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

for my personal favorite of the Sigrid Harald mystery series by Margaret Maron.

Maron makes some quantum leaps with this book...unravels the ongoing tension between MacKinnon and Anne Harald, giving Sigrid some insight, at last, into the career of her father, a detective in the same NYC division that she is now with.

She also perfects telling her tale from several points of view, the most interesting of which is Detective Sergeant Jarvis Vaughn, an interesting potential future partner for Harald.

Lastly, the dual mysteries and deaths in the novel, hit close to home, as someone is killing cops and police dept. civilians. Who the killer is, kept me guessing until it was revealed in the last chapter.

Oscar Nauman plays only a bit part here, and Maron also fades out Tillie, to some extent. The danger to Harald's life, as the murderer is revealed is well drawn and the action scene is memorable.

Past Imperfect showcases all Maron's skills and successfully fills in several gaps in Harald's life. Truly a fine novel, that will hopefully be available in a reprinted version in the near future.