Novel Whore

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Getting into another person’s mind has always fascinated me, probably why I went into psychology. The mind of a killer, especially one with no remorse has always sucked me in, so I really wanted to pick up The Killing of Mindi Quintana by local author Jeffrey Cohen. The Killing of Mindi Quintana centers around Freddy, a simple retail china manager that commits a murder and tries to use his new found celebrity to reach his goals.

The story opens with an overview of the inner thoughts of Freddy who excels at his job, much to his dismay, as he finds himself about to move up the corporate ladder. He’s stuck in a life he doesn’t want, but can’t figure out how to get out of it. Cohen does an excellent job of making you feel Freddy’s despair, and sensing his mental imbalance.

I especially loved the inner workings of the corporate ladder at Chanet’s where managers are promoted and axed in volatile ways, from the lowly chocolate manager where employees are demoted before being publicly humiliated and fired, to the manager of the year that has his image printed on everything from store perfume to toilet paper. The supporting characters of middle and upper managers are viciously portrayed in a way that makes you want to laugh, and never work in the corporate world again, or maybe that’s just me.

The story moves slowly for almost half the book, building the characters. I was almost begging for the murder to finally happen. Then the story seemed to go by too fast. After Freddy murders Mindi and is arrested, he uses his fame to finally get his writing published, his life’s goal. Freddy’s lawyer Philip is stuck watching disgustedly as his client lies and manipulates his way through the case, unable to do anything until he comes up with a plan that ingeniously turns Freddy’s goals upside down.

The Killing of Mindi Quintana is a great first book for Cohen, I can’t wait to see more.

The Killing of Mindi Quintana

Novel Whore Rating: 3 Notches on the Bed Post

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* I received a review copy of The Killing of Mindi Quintana from the publisher