Saturday, August 8, 2009

The Hunch-Seymour Shubin

The Hunch
Seymour Shubin
Murder Slim Press, 2009
http://www.murderslim.com
ISBN: 9780955131585

As they prepare for the marriage of their daughter Diane, Jon and Cindy Hendricks seem to have the perfect marriage. That is until the night Cindy comes home late, hysterical and blood stained while Diane sleeps. Crying Cindy tells Jon she killed director Tony McDowell, but lost the kitchen knife she used on him. Between tears, she explains she had a tryst with Tony who demanded a second sexual encounter, which she refused. She met him in his BMW and killed him when he assaulted her. Jon goes to nearby Philadelphia to find the knife in the car near the corpse of Tony.

PPD Detective Woody Wedman and his partner Stillman lead the investigation. Jon’s best friend true crime reporter Colin Ryan has a growing interest in the homicide that ties back increasingly to the Hendricks. As Cindy becomes depressed and Diane worries about the estrangement between her parents, Jon, wracked with guilt tries to cover his wife’s role in the homicide while Tony’s family mourns their loss and find no closure.

This unique excellent crime thriller has a Kafka-Twilight Zone feel to the intense character driven story line as readers know from the start who committed the murder and allegedly why, but wonder like her spouse questions: is Cindy a clever Lady Macbeth? By covering the crime, Jon becomes an accessory and feels the impact in his gut. Fans who enjoy a refreshing psychological drama will wonder whether Cindy and Jon can wash their respective hands of the blood of Tony.

Harriet Klausner

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