Book Review: Perfect Victim by Jan Christensen

Perfect Victim
Paula Mitchell, P.I.
Jan Christensen
CreateSpace, June 2013
ISBN No. 978-1489520395
Trade Paperback

 

Warren Wade is arrested for the murder of Sylvia Leominster, his fiancée. Paula Mitchell is a private investigator who sometimes works with Geri Smithfield, Paula’s best friend and Warren’s lawyer. When Paula goes to the jail to interview Warren he admits that the last evening he was with Sylvia she broke up with him. The couple had been dating for a little over a year and planned on getting married in December. Warren admitted to Paula that he was very upset over the break-up but insisted he had nothing to do with Sylvia’s death.

 

Sylvia was murdered with a fireplace poker and Warren’s prints were all over the poker. Warren admits that he had occasion to use the poker many times but only for the purpose of building a fire. Warren explains to Paula that he is an only child and had been left a large sum of money so he didn’t work but spends a lot of time on the computer researching various subjects.

 

Paula interviews all of Sylvia’s friends and the result is that Paula feels none of them is being honest with her and any one of them could have more motives for the murder than Warren. Even though another murder happens in the small Rhode Island town in the exact way that Sylvia was murdered, the police will not drop the charges against Warren and eventually he goes to trial.

 

Paula’s lover is also a computer expert and lends his hand to the investigation. When Warren’s preliminary hearing takes place, Paula feels the hearing has given her some good clues as to the identity of Sylvia’s killer. Paula’s attempts to narrow in on the killer puts her life in jeopardy.

 

This is an interesting book with some likeable characters and would make a good series.

 

Reviewed by Patricia E. Reid, February 2014.