"A Very Simple Crime" is a twisting debut novel of murder and dark family secrets from a riveting new voice in crime fiction.
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Mar 09, 2011
Dan
rated it: 
A wealthy woman is killed and all signs point to her mentally disturbed son. Disgraced attourney Leo Hewitt uncovers new evidence pointing to the woman's unhappy husband. Can Leo help the DA's office put him away?
I won this book in a Firstreads giveaway and didn't realize it was a legal thriller. Yawn city, right? Well, it turned out to be a lot better than the dreary courtroom drama I was expecting.
Jerkins uses shifting viewpoints to his advantage. Adam Lee, the sus More...
I won this book in a Firstreads giveaway and didn't realize it was a legal thriller. Yawn city, right? Well, it turned out to be a lot better than the dreary courtroom drama I was expecting.
Jerkins uses shifting viewpoints to his advantage. Adam Lee, the sus More...
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Nov 14, 2010
Chris
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Enjoyed this book, and enjoy it more as it continues to play around in my mind. I recommend it to readers who like their mystery/thrillers to have a psychological edge and at little legal action. The writing is deceptively simple. Take my advice and pay attention to the details as you're reading. If the beginning is a little slow or hard to get into, stick with it. It's one of those thrillers that starts with some short chapters that leave you wondering what the heck is going on, but you qu
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Aug 11, 2011
Jamie
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An interesting yet crude book. The book focuses primarily on a man named Adam Lee. He married a woman who has serious psychological issues. They have a son with mental issues who spends several years in an institution for violence. One weekend he takes his son home from the institution for a weekend at home. That same weekend he leaves on an affair getaway. When he returns, his wife is found dead. Adam turns to his brother, Monty, for his legal help as a lawyer. Monty then involves anoth
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Aug 20, 2011
James
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Adam Lee, a businessman who has not entirely outgrown his troubled childhood, is on trial for the murder of his wife. He claims that he loved his wife and that he is innocent. He insists that, tragically, his wife was killed by their mentally ill son, Albert, who was home on a visit from the institution where he is normally committed. Adam is represented by his older brother, Monty, a handsome and successful lawyer, whom Adam has always worshipped.
Initially, the authorities had also More...
Initially, the authorities had also More...
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Jun 10, 2011
Joyce
rated it: 
A Very Simple Masterpiece
If you are looking to read a mystery with a blatant psychological edge, this is the new book for you. Nothing is really simple about A Very Simple Crime except the short, direct sentences and chapters. The prose is not ensconced in metaphors, it is direct and there are many zinger phrases, "can I acknowledge......that I was attracted to mental illness....Darkness is drawn to darkness." And dark is this novel, one feels drawn down to deeper levels al More...
If you are looking to read a mystery with a blatant psychological edge, this is the new book for you. Nothing is really simple about A Very Simple Crime except the short, direct sentences and chapters. The prose is not ensconced in metaphors, it is direct and there are many zinger phrases, "can I acknowledge......that I was attracted to mental illness....Darkness is drawn to darkness." And dark is this novel, one feels drawn down to deeper levels al More...
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Jan 27, 2011
Paul
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Grant Jerkins lives in Atlanta and his book, "A Very Simple Crime", takes place in Atlanta. In fact the murder takes place in Peachtree Battle.
The story starts with two young boys, Monty and Adam Lee, who just lost their parents in an automobile accident. The book moves quickly to their lives as adults. Monty is now a big time lawyer and Adam has married into money.
Adam finds out that not only has he married into money but his wife, Rachel, is to say the leas More...
The story starts with two young boys, Monty and Adam Lee, who just lost their parents in an automobile accident. The book moves quickly to their lives as adults. Monty is now a big time lawyer and Adam has married into money.
Adam finds out that not only has he married into money but his wife, Rachel, is to say the leas More...
Nov 19, 2010
Elizabeth A.
rated it:
"If you are unlucky enough to have known the dark as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for darkness is a movable feast." - Adam Lee
There’s enough darkness following Adam Lee, the main character in Grant Jerkins’ debut novel A Very Simple Crime, to fuel a Thanksgiving sized feast. The book opens with Adam on trial for the murder of his wife, Rachel. As we learn through Adam’s narrated flashback to the events that brought him to thi More...
There’s enough darkness following Adam Lee, the main character in Grant Jerkins’ debut novel A Very Simple Crime, to fuel a Thanksgiving sized feast. The book opens with Adam on trial for the murder of his wife, Rachel. As we learn through Adam’s narrated flashback to the events that brought him to thi More...
Aug 05, 2011
Neil
rated it:
What a great read! did not know what to expect Grant Jenkin's first novel looking forward to reading more of his writing. He puts many established mystery writers to shame.
The story starts off with a sad description of 2 brothers who are left after their parents are killed (Why is it that often parents or one parent died of some horrific accident before a mystery story starts?) Due to the circumstances of their placement they begin an interesting relationship, which comes up ever so ofte More...
The story starts off with a sad description of 2 brothers who are left after their parents are killed (Why is it that often parents or one parent died of some horrific accident before a mystery story starts?) Due to the circumstances of their placement they begin an interesting relationship, which comes up ever so ofte More...
Oct 26, 2010
Rich
rated it:
Every crime tells a story - especially murder. The motivations, the events, the hidden desires...sometimes it really is simple, and sometimes it only seems that way.
A Very Simple Crime tells just such a story, one that seems all too familiar. A man trapped in a marriage and a life he doesn't want, looking for a way out. He goes away for a weekend with a lover and returns to find his wife dead, and his disabled son traumatized. It seems simple, at first.
What keeps Grant Jerkin More...
A Very Simple Crime tells just such a story, one that seems all too familiar. A man trapped in a marriage and a life he doesn't want, looking for a way out. He goes away for a weekend with a lover and returns to find his wife dead, and his disabled son traumatized. It seems simple, at first.
What keeps Grant Jerkin More...
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Jan 06, 2011
Karen & Gerard
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Wow! What a twist at the end in A Very Simple Crime by Grant Jenkins. This is about two brothers, Adam and Monty. One day Adam comes home after a weekend escape with someone not his wife to find his wife dead. The only other person home was their mentally impaired son who is known for violent outbursts. When Adam is charged with murder, Monty becomes his lawyer.
A Very Simple Crime goes very fast. I got into it quickly and found it hard to put down. I was only going to give i More...
A Very Simple Crime goes very fast. I got into it quickly and found it hard to put down. I was only going to give i More...
Feb 04, 2011
Ron
rated it:
THE BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES with fangs: A wealthy man, accused of a crime that seems to have been a tragic accident, is hounded by an ambitious prosecutor. However, in Jerkins's work of nasty brilliance nothing is as it seems. With shifting points-of-view and a haunting acceptance of the darkness that can take possession of anyone, this short, intoxicating novel does call to mind the sharp satire of Tom Wolfe, the dispassionate yet twisted voice of Jim Thompson's THE KILLER INSIDE ME, and a pr
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Jan 14, 2011
Kristy
rated it: 
I guess I'm in the minority when I say I really didnt care for this book. I saw every twist and turn coming from a mile away and kept wanting more from it...and never got it. Anyone that reads thrillers or mystery type books should have no prob figuring this book out right from the begining. Again I was really wanting the author to suprise me and make me think. But I never got it. Its wasnt a bad book, it just didnt live up to my expectaions and the only thing that kept me wanting to read it
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Feb 07, 2011
Barbara
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Nov 16, 2011
Jenny
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I have to say I really enjoyed this book. It's been a while since I've read a good legal thriller and this one didn't let me down. It was definitely a page-turner and I read it in a couple of hours.
The story is about two brothers - Adam and Monty Lee. Adam is married to a very crazy woman and Monty is a sleezebag attorney. The story takes us from the time when Adam and Monty are young and their parents die, all the way to adulthood where Adam is married and working for his father-in More...
The story is about two brothers - Adam and Monty Lee. Adam is married to a very crazy woman and Monty is a sleezebag attorney. The story takes us from the time when Adam and Monty are young and their parents die, all the way to adulthood where Adam is married and working for his father-in More...
Mar 08, 2011
Ellie
rated it:
A Very Simple Crime by Grant Jerkins was a well-paced, well-written detective story with a satisfying plot, interesting characters, and just enough twists to keep the reader's interest alert.
Adam and his brother Monty are close, in that terminally ambivalent way that brothers so often seem to be. Orphaned at an early age, Adam looks to Monty for protection and Monty plays the sophisticated elder brother role well. A successful criminal attorney, Monty loses himself in both the law and the p More...
Adam and his brother Monty are close, in that terminally ambivalent way that brothers so often seem to be. Orphaned at an early age, Adam looks to Monty for protection and Monty plays the sophisticated elder brother role well. A successful criminal attorney, Monty loses himself in both the law and the p More...
Aug 24, 2011
Kurt
rated it:
Good neo-noir novel. The prose is tight and brisk with a plot that moves along without ever bogging down in style. I'm still out on the different POV's. It worked here, and I don't see a way that it would have been pulled off it had been done entirely in the 1st person. Also what's interesting is how the reader should (or not) empathize with unlikable brothers Adam and Monty. Fans of noir should enjoy this one.
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Jan 30, 2011
Heather
rated it:
I will try to review as simple as possible. (My ode to the title)
Raunchy, frantic, predictable and a bit hard is how I would describe this book.
I would venture to guess that the author is a huge fan of Law and Order Special Victims Unit. It read just like the one episode I've ever watched of that show.
Sadly, I will not be awaiting the next book by Grant Jerkins.
Simplicity is not always a good thing.
Raunchy, frantic, predictable and a bit hard is how I would describe this book.
I would venture to guess that the author is a huge fan of Law and Order Special Victims Unit. It read just like the one episode I've ever watched of that show.
Sadly, I will not be awaiting the next book by Grant Jerkins.
Simplicity is not always a good thing.
Mar 18, 2011
Jeanne
rated it:
This is a very troubling but intriguing read with mostly unpleasant characters, but with a story line that keeps you reading. You have to know what really happened and whether you are being tricked, as you suspect right away. Not a five star book but definitely a very convincing and engaging plot. The hero of the story is hard to find.
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Mar 07, 2011
Rhonda
rated it:
A quick read with a lot of twists. The author gives a little more background with each character, then a little more mystery ensues, then a little more background, etc. A man in an unhappy marriage comes home from a weekend tryst to find his wife murdered, assumedly by their retarded son. He counts on his brother to save the day.
Nov 07, 2011
Jessica
rated it:
I'm not huge on mystery novels because I always find them trite, but this one was pretty good. A quick read (I think I read it in 3 days), not so amazing characters but it was better than a James Patterson novel! I'd be interested in reading another book by this author.
Jan 17, 2011
Jenna
rated it:
*I won this book* Thank you Goodreads's First-Reads!!!
A quick read with several twists and turns. Whenever I felt I knew what happened to Rachel, the author would reveal something new that changed everything. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more from Grant Jerkins.
A quick read with several twists and turns. Whenever I felt I knew what happened to Rachel, the author would reveal something new that changed everything. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to more from Grant Jerkins.
Feb 21, 2012
Chris
rated it:
If Alfred Hitchcock were alive, he'd make this into his next movie. Just loved it. Loved the plot twists, the points of view switching and the sly tone. This was so much better than his second book. REad this in just three evening sessions.
Nov 18, 2011
Julie
rated it:
3 1/2 A very wonderful first novel! A fast reading thriller with many twists and turns. Adam's wife is murdered while he is out of town with another woman. Is it his developmentally disabled son who murdered her? Things are not what they seem.
Jan 31, 2012
Allison
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This book was really good. It was about a woman who was murdered and her son was mentally challenged and he has had a history of violence towards people. Throughout the book many thought it was the son, and since he isn't in the right state of mind from no fault of his own people thought it was a "simple crime". But things start to unravel as this ADA starts to dig around in this family's history. He begins to find the truth behind many things, including the woman's murder. This book w
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Mar 12, 2011
Gatorman
rated it:
Well-written and keeps you reading until the end, but the ending falls apart and doesn't quite ring true. Jerkins gets there by using some over-the-top plot contrivances which are dramatic but not very realistic. Still, it was an enjoyable and quick read.
Jun 07, 2011
Mischelle
rated it:
What?!! Are you kidding me!! This book is something else!! Just when I thought that something is gonna happen it ends up being something else!! I would give this book another star but for too graphic sex that gones on in this story.
This story is not predictable as I thought that it would be. A different kind of crime story that I've ever read! Wow!! It made me feel all kinds of emotions for the characters in this book. The husband made me sick and discussed. The wife had me so More...
This story is not predictable as I thought that it would be. A different kind of crime story that I've ever read! Wow!! It made me feel all kinds of emotions for the characters in this book. The husband made me sick and discussed. The wife had me so More...
Dec 24, 2010
Tabi
rated it:
This was a pretty good crime novel, and I don't usually care for crime novels. Also, I have to agree with the critic on the cover. I can't believe this is Grant Jerkins' first book. Nice.
Very quick read, no real dull spots. Read it in one afternoon.
Very quick read, no real dull spots. Read it in one afternoon.
Jan 26, 2011
Joanie
rated it:
My first First Reads! So, maybe I've read too many who-dun-its, as it's getting easier to predict the outcomes of novels such as these....or is it? Mr. Jerkins kept me guessing with this one...thought I had it figured out, then...not so much. This story was well written, moved along at a comfortable pace and, above all, was quite entertaining and really held my interest. I'll be watching for more from Mr Jerkins.
Jan 16, 2011
Robert
rated it:
Eventhough it is a legal thriller it is also a very dark book. It is a fast read and has very little wasted words. It is also a hard book to put down and as a result you can finish it very quickly.
A little slow at the beginning and couple of the legal narrative are not realistic. The story is full of twists and all the characters in the book have a hard time telling the truth. I look foward to the authors next book.
A little slow at the beginning and couple of the legal narrative are not realistic. The story is full of twists and all the characters in the book have a hard time telling the truth. I look foward to the authors next book.
Jan 04, 2011
Mkay
rated it:
Unexpectedly good. Diabolical, dark, intriguing, unpredictable. I would recommend this to anyone wanting a really good, exceptionally diverting read. Will definitely read whatever else he publishes next. Excellent.
