An American Killing

Ugh. It started off so well. The characters seemed interesting and the writing was okay and I was curious to know more about the powerful politician found dead in an apparently accidental case of autoerotic asphyxiation, but maybe was murdered instead. Then it all went to heck on page 18, when the first person narrator suddenly began swinging between present tense and past tense, the story became clogged with celebrity name-dropping, and it became painfully obvious that the author was drawing so heavily on the Ann Rule/Ted Bundy story that it completely kicked me out of the story. I did power through to page 50, but there’s no way I could bring myself to finish the book.

DNF on page 50. Hardcover, purchased years ago on a whim from a show more clearance table at a big box bookstore that has long since gone out of business. show less

I found this book on sale never having heard of it or the author and I was charmed with word one. The plot kind of holds up with only a few flaws but the characters and the story just grabbed me and moved me along so I hardly noticed. Denise Burke is a true crime writer who is having an affair with a US Senator. He tells her of an intriguing murder so that she'll write a book about it. About the time she gets interested he tells her to stop.

I really enjoyed how the plot unfolded through the process of research for a book. I was pleased with the first 75% of the book, but then it got excessive. Too much adultery for me and too much killing - it felt over the top and unrelatable.

Good book. Didn't read all that quickly, but when I thought I had figured it out, then I hadn't so I liked being a bit surprised.