Book Review: Crooked Numbers by Tim O'Mara

Published in 2013. Raymond Donne was once a member of the NYPD. Due to an injury sustained on the job, he is now a middle grade school teacher. When one of his former students is found murdered, his instincts as a cop come out. In addition, the student’s mother asks him to find out what really happened. He feels obligated to help. Between his time at school and a new girlfriend, he finds snippets of information. He feeds them to his former partner, Murcer but his partner reminds him that he’s no longer a cop. Everyone reminds him that he’s no longer a cop, but it’s in his blood. He wants the truth.

It’s an interesting story. The author captured what it was like to be a school teacher in a middle school while also portraying the young people authentically. The author is a teacher so he has first hand knowledge. I did like the ending and it fit the storyline. The title referred to the crooked numbers on a financial statement or it could also have applied to the gang members’ uniforms. In either case, there weren’t a lot of numbers in the book.

The author has written several more books since the publication of this one. I’ll look for them.