Walter Walker

Having spent the first 35 years of my life in the Cape Cod area, I immediately picked up on the often thinly veiled comparisons to the Kennedy family - the royalty of Massachusetts. Whether you read this story with that in mind, or just enjoy it as a completely fictional tale, there is much to love here. I found the writing style engaging, the plot intricate and fast paced, and the characters well developed. No one here is completely innocent. The shades of gray make this a compelling read.

George Becket, age 22, is on spring break and is invited to a party at the Senator's house on Cape Cod. Here he witnesses a rape and does nothing. Three years later there is a murder of a young woman and once again the Senator's family is involved. Becket has learned over the years that acquiescing to the powerful reaps its rewards, and that disturbing the status quo brings its problems. Now, nine years after the murder, he is an assistant district attorney and is accosted by the dead show more woman's father, urged to investigate and to find the killer.

Walter gives us a vivid portrayal of how you can sell your soul by merely remaining silent when faced with corruption. He also shows us, dramatically, how aligning oneself with those who use power to influence, manipulate and control puts you in the company of those where no one is trustworthy.

There are twists, turns and betrayals on almost every page. Walker is a talented writer; the book is a quick read in spite of being over 400 pages. show less

A first rate thriller! As the guest of a guest at a party thrown by one of America’s wealthiest and most powerful families, college student George Beckett witnesses an incident involving several young members of the privileged elite. When asked if he’ll testify George can’t say for certain exactly what it was he witnessed… was it simply a little drunken “fooling around” or something far worse? As a reward for what the family perceives as his “loyalty” George is the recipient show more of a few high powered favors. Nothing as crude or obvious as a bribe but George knows he’s been paid off. Years later he still thinks about the incident, has dreams about what he saw… and he still isn’t sure. As an unremarkable assistant District Attorney George is just coasting through life doing the bare minimum when he finds himself thrust into the midst of another old case involving members of that same family, this time there can be no doubt as to what happened… it was murder.

The story starts out fairly quickly, and never stops doing a slow consistent build right up until the final chapters. It does a few time leaps back and forth but does it in a smooth style that isn’t hard to follow. The story is introspective, anyone expecting a thrill ride of nonstop action will be very disappointed, George is trying to come to terms with what he's done and what he has to do. The end doesn’t wrap up in a tidy little bow, there is closure to the story but rather than a black and white resolution the reader is left in a gray area – some things will change others will always be the same.

There’s an awful lot going on in this story beneath the surface. It contains much in social commentary on things like (corrupted) power, (unearned) privilege and the often unhealthy influence of family dynasties. There is also a strong sense of paranoia that weaves throughout the plot. In a lot of ways it’s a conspiracy theorists worst nightmare come true. I was completely riveted by the story.

The character of George Beckett isn’t a knight in shining armor, his heroic qualities are minimal. Some readers might be put off by his apparent ambivalence to the things going on around him. I thought it added a sense of realism to the character, here’s basically a working class guy who has spent most of his life in relative comfort around the edges of the rich and powerful, now he can rock the boat and possibly sink himself in the process or do nothing and try to live with himself knowing he never even tried.

The book contains adult language, sexual situations and some violence.

*** I received a free Advance Readers Edition of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. There were no conditions given or promises made as to whether the review would be good, bad or indifferent – only that it would be my honest opinion. It is. show less

This book was a remarkably quick read for its 400+page length. There is plenty of action, lots of dialogue, clear descriptions of the characters and locations, as well as some plot twists.

I normally read quite a bit of non-fiction – primarily American and Western European history. However, when I am in the mood for pleasure-reading, I gravitate toward crime dramas, thrillers and mysteries. To me, district attorney George Becket was a solid character, a sympathetic guy. Author Walter Walker show more succeeded in getting me engaged in following the story to its end, and I enjoyed it.

I liked Crime of Privilege for what it is – plain & simple, it was an entertaining and fast-moving piece of fiction. Great reading for a plane trip, an excursion to the beach, or in my case – sitting on my balcony with my feet up, enjoying a lovely weekend in Pasadena! show less