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The Crimes of Jordan Wise
Jordan Wise is a mild-mannered accountant with a large San Francisco
engineering firm in the late 1970s. By his own admission, the first
thirty-four years of his life were dull, empty. But that all changes
when he meets and falls in love with Annalise Bonner, an ambitious
young woman who craves excitement, a life on the edge.
With her as the catalyst, Wise concocts and executes a meticulous
plan to steal more than half a million dollars from his firm. They
escape to the Virgin Islands, but their plans to live a life of quiet
luxury are beset by unexpected pitfalls -- and Wise is forced to
carry out two more ingenious schemes as a result. All three of his
crimes are perfect -- or are they?
THE CRIMES OF JORDAN WISE is a classic tale of love, greed, betrayal,
and violence told with Bill Pronzini's characteristic twists and
turns and his special brand of suspense. It is also a powerful
psychological examination of a man, a woman, and the wages of sin.
engineering firm in the late 1970s. By his own admission, the first
thirty-four years of his life were dull, empty. But that all changes
when he meets and falls in love with Annalise Bonner, an ambitious
young woman who craves excitement, a life on the edge.
With her as the catalyst, Wise concocts and executes a meticulous
plan to steal more than half a million dollars from his firm. They
escape to the Virgin Islands, but their plans to live a life of quiet
luxury are beset by unexpected pitfalls -- and Wise is forced to
carry out two more ingenious schemes as a result. All three of his
crimes are perfect -- or are they?
THE CRIMES OF JORDAN WISE is a classic tale of love, greed, betrayal,
and violence told with Bill Pronzini's characteristic twists and
turns and his special brand of suspense. It is also a powerful
psychological examination of a man, a woman, and the wages of sin.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
2 people are currently reading
140 people want to read
About the author
Bill Pronzini
625 books235 followersMystery Writers of America Awards "Grand Master" 2008
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink
Married to author Marcia Muller.
Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Jack Foxx
William Jeffrey (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Alex Saxon
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink
Married to author Marcia Muller.
Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Jack Foxx
William Jeffrey (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Alex Saxon
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
November 29, 2024
This Bill Pronzini novel is a compelling page-turner and will stick with you long after you have read the last page. Why? Because the story not only makes for good crime fiction but is a penetrating meditation on several key philosophical questions: what is the nature of love; what means should we take to realize our dreams; how valuable are such things as friendship, peace of mind and knowing oneself?
At the beginning of the novel, it appears to be a clear-cut case of Jordan’s love for sexually-charged, alluring Annalise, his like-minded female alter-ego, a twenty-six year old willing to do anything for a life of excitement and living on the edge. But the more Jordan tells his tale, the more the plot thickens, a thickness that’s as dark and as rich as Jordan’s favorite rum, Arundel Cane, the only rum he ever drinks.
Jordan also loves sailing, especially as captain of his very own yawl, the feel of the wind in his face, the tropical sun overhead, the exhilaration of being on the wide, open sea.
And Jordan comes to love Bone, a fiercely independently minded Caribbean man whose skin is "the color of milk chocolate"; he's an expert seaman who acts as his mentor, the man who later becomes Jordan’s best and only friend.
Lastly, we come to understand Jordan has another love, perhaps his deepest love of all, a love that grounds him in the world and gives him a sense of identity, a very, very special identity – his perfect crimes.
Oh, Jordan, through your well-calculated plan of embezzlement, you set yourself free from the work-a-day white-collar world of your office, where you spent ten years crunching numbers as a trustworthy accountant. You can now live on a Caribbean island with your lover Annalise and take up sailing by day and drinking your rum and having great sex by night. What a life! What a dream come true!
If only this life could go on and on for you. But there’s the rub. Life is forever changing, forever evolving or devolving – over time, the dream can vanish so quickly. And it did for you.
Ancient philosophers from Plato to Aristotle to Cicero, Seneca and Epicurus put great emphasis on friendship as an indispensable part of the good life. Jordan’s friendship with Bone has all the soulful qualities those ancient philosophers spoke about in such glowing terms. When Bone is not longer a friend, Jordan finds out the hard way just how much wisdom is contained in the words of those Greco-Roman philosophers.
Toward the end of the novel, when Jordan appears to have life on his own terms, we read, “the tight, structured little world I established for myself on St. Thomas was secure. I could continue to indulge my simple tastes for the rest of my life. I could be at peace. Only I wasn’t.”
Rather than delving into the specifics of Jordan’s story, let’s pause and note how many ancient philosophers, most notably Epicurus, held ataraxia (a combination of tranquility and joy) to be life’s highest value and ultimate goal.
Epicurus reasoned without ataraxis, without peace of mind, no matter whatever else a man or woman has in life, their life doesn’t amount to that much. Jordan lived his dream, at least for a number of years, but ultimately, it wasn’t enough.
No doubt about Jordan having a dark side -he philosophizes about his own dark nature and also human nature in general. But how deep is his understanding?
American author Bill Pronzini, born 1943
April 2, 2017
A beautifully executed tale of a man who takes pride in the three "perfect" crimes he's pulled off.
A writer approaches an elderly white soak in a bar on a Caribbean island and extracts from him the tale of his life, and in particular of the three crimes that enabled him to live here in a subtropical paradise with never a moment's financial worry. Our narrator began as timid, undersexed San Francisco accountant Jordan Wise, who had not even a Walter Mitty ambition in his head before meeting the femme fatale Annalise Bonner. Self-confessedly a gold-digger, she told him she was fond of him but rejected him as a lover because he'd never give her the life of money and excitement she desired. So he concocted a foolproof embezzlement scheme, turned himself into go-getter Richard Laidlaw, married the sexually insatiable Annalise and left his life of meek nonentity behind him . . .
The "sexually insatiable" part of that last sentence is important, because really, although it takes him a long time to develop the self-awareness to recognize this, it's the only aspect that has much bearing on the relationship between Jordan/Richard and his wife: he believes himself to be in love with her, and that she might be in love with him, because their sexual activity and the fact that the rest of the world sees him as a man with a hot wife bolster his image of himself, his image of the person he feels he has managed to construct out of the remains of Jordan Wise. Of course, this constructed ego of his is almost deliberately blind to Annalise's true nature . . .
Pronzini's prose is like a glass of Famous Grouse: strong, oh yes, but so smooth that it goes down with deceptive ease. From time to time I found myself thinking of Graham Greene -- not that there's any real comparison, but Greene, like Pronzini here, had the ability to use restraint in his prose as a means to ensnare the reader totally. Although the back of my copy of the novel bears the category label "Thriller," it seems a misnomer: Pronzini eschews cheap thrills, instead quite quietly creating Jordan's/Richard's worldview with such absorbing clarity that we find ourselves rooting for him as he self-justifies his way through his various, increasingly reprehensible crimes. The result is more gripping than many an acclaimed thriller.
Through his passion for sailing -- a passion that Annalise not only doesn't share but abhors -- Jordan/Richard makes the one true friendship of his life, with an islander called simply Bone. It's a friendship that he loses because of the third of his "perfect" crimes. It takes the writer who's interviewing him to get it through to Jordan/Richard that, while he thinks his crimes may have brought him gains, perhaps the one-time accountant should be paying more heed to the entries in the "losses" column.
Every time I read a Bill Pronzini novel I wonder why I don't read him more often. This is my favorite of his that I've read to date (despite all the stuff about sailing!). I have several others of his books unread on my shelves. I really must get my act together.
A writer approaches an elderly white soak in a bar on a Caribbean island and extracts from him the tale of his life, and in particular of the three crimes that enabled him to live here in a subtropical paradise with never a moment's financial worry. Our narrator began as timid, undersexed San Francisco accountant Jordan Wise, who had not even a Walter Mitty ambition in his head before meeting the femme fatale Annalise Bonner. Self-confessedly a gold-digger, she told him she was fond of him but rejected him as a lover because he'd never give her the life of money and excitement she desired. So he concocted a foolproof embezzlement scheme, turned himself into go-getter Richard Laidlaw, married the sexually insatiable Annalise and left his life of meek nonentity behind him . . .
The "sexually insatiable" part of that last sentence is important, because really, although it takes him a long time to develop the self-awareness to recognize this, it's the only aspect that has much bearing on the relationship between Jordan/Richard and his wife: he believes himself to be in love with her, and that she might be in love with him, because their sexual activity and the fact that the rest of the world sees him as a man with a hot wife bolster his image of himself, his image of the person he feels he has managed to construct out of the remains of Jordan Wise. Of course, this constructed ego of his is almost deliberately blind to Annalise's true nature . . .
Pronzini's prose is like a glass of Famous Grouse: strong, oh yes, but so smooth that it goes down with deceptive ease. From time to time I found myself thinking of Graham Greene -- not that there's any real comparison, but Greene, like Pronzini here, had the ability to use restraint in his prose as a means to ensnare the reader totally. Although the back of my copy of the novel bears the category label "Thriller," it seems a misnomer: Pronzini eschews cheap thrills, instead quite quietly creating Jordan's/Richard's worldview with such absorbing clarity that we find ourselves rooting for him as he self-justifies his way through his various, increasingly reprehensible crimes. The result is more gripping than many an acclaimed thriller.
Through his passion for sailing -- a passion that Annalise not only doesn't share but abhors -- Jordan/Richard makes the one true friendship of his life, with an islander called simply Bone. It's a friendship that he loses because of the third of his "perfect" crimes. It takes the writer who's interviewing him to get it through to Jordan/Richard that, while he thinks his crimes may have brought him gains, perhaps the one-time accountant should be paying more heed to the entries in the "losses" column.
Every time I read a Bill Pronzini novel I wonder why I don't read him more often. This is my favorite of his that I've read to date (despite all the stuff about sailing!). I have several others of his books unread on my shelves. I really must get my act together.
November 11, 2015
Getting to my review...where I write it, here, I glanced and saw a five star review for this book. Good for him! Or her! But no five stars from me, that's for sure. I didn't stop to read the review which I seldom do anyhow but wondered, "what's this dude read besides Pronzini?"
In all fairness, the only two books I've read of Bill Pronzini have been audio so before I write him off, I'm reading one of his books. Maybe it's the read by...the narrator I should be annoyed with.
The story was just ok, as was the narrator, ok. One more try!
In all fairness, the only two books I've read of Bill Pronzini have been audio so before I write him off, I'm reading one of his books. Maybe it's the read by...the narrator I should be annoyed with.
The story was just ok, as was the narrator, ok. One more try!
July 28, 2019
This isn't really a page-turner. I don't know that I would have made it through if I hadn't been listening in audio & yet I wound up liking it very much. Jordan is telling his story of 3 perfect crimes to an author in a bar. The crimes themselves, especially the first, are described in detail. The book almost plods due to that, but it is important, especially his feelings & reasons. This becomes apparent as he rationalizes his guilt in the next 2 crimes. At the very end, we finally find out why he tells his story in such detail & that's the kicker. It's a good one. Suddenly all the detail makes a horrid kind of sense & my view of Jordan changes. I won't say how. Read it. 3.5 stars.
I could have sworn I reviewed this already & put up another book as currently-reading. Did GR go back in time?
I could have sworn I reviewed this already & put up another book as currently-reading. Did GR go back in time?
March 23, 2018
This is my first Pronzini and I enjoyed it a lot. It’s not so much a whodunnit, or whydunnit, but a howdunnit, and will Jordan Wise get his comeuppance. It is therefore a very different sort of crime novel yet reads as a compelling page-turner.
Now in his later years at 62, Jordan Wise sits in a waterfront bar and tells his story to a journalist. Throughout, the setting of the Virgin Islands provides a fitting backdrop. There are shades of some Gallic noir also, a guy living a normal and mundane life turns to crime. I think specifically of Manchette’s Three To Kill .
Now in his later years at 62, Jordan Wise sits in a waterfront bar and tells his story to a journalist. Throughout, the setting of the Virgin Islands provides a fitting backdrop. There are shades of some Gallic noir also, a guy living a normal and mundane life turns to crime. I think specifically of Manchette’s Three To Kill .
May 4, 2010
RATING: 4.0
Jordan Wise is the stereotypical accountant. A spinster schoolteacher would lead a more interesting life than he does. He's worked for the same corporation for many years; he's the kind of person who is so bland that you can't remember his name three seconds after being introduced. If you had to match his personality to a crayon color, it would be light gray. As the book opens in the present day, Jordan is talking with a journalist and drops the bombshell that he has pulled off three perfect crimes more than 20 years earlier. How could such a nebbish have been involved in anything more criminal than taking an extra piece of dry cleaning by accident? Certainly, there is more to the surface than meets the eye as far as Jordan is concerned.
Of course, it's all because of a woman—isn't it always? Amazingly, Jordan meets a beautiful fashion designer named Annalise Bonner; and she shows some interest in him. That is the pivotal point that drives the entire book, to what lengths Jordan will go to have a relationship with Annalise. She is quite clear that if he can provide her with a luxurious lifestyle, then she'll stay with him. There's nothing about love in the equation. So the first thing that Jordan does is pull off a complicated corporate swindle while changing his identity to become "Richard Laidlaw". He and Annalise take the half million dollars he's stolen and go to the Virgin Islands.
In an incredible piece of writing, Pronzini transforms Jordan into Richard, a completely different man in physical appearance, attitude and bearing. Richard is decisive and, unlike, Jordan, develops some passions in his life, particularly a love of sailing. I did feel that Pronzini went a bit overboard (no pun intended) with the sailing terminology as Richard pursued his interest, and there was one unconvincing reaction as far as Annalise was concerned that gave me pause several times. As you might imagine, the honeymoon doesn't last forever for Annalise and Richard/Jordan. The complications of their relationship drive the other two perfect crimes that Richard commits. Although he can gloat about his accomplishments, he loses more than he gains along the way.
Pronzini is an astonishing author. Best known for the Nameless Detective series which is approaching 30 books in length, he has written several wonderful standalone novels as well, each of them very different from the other. THE CRIMES OF JORDAN WISE has everything that a reader could want—complex characters with layers of motivation, an engaging plot, crisp yet descriptive writing and some unexpected developments that keep the suspense high and the pace moving. CRIMES is a classic tale of love, lust, greed and betrayal; but as always, Pronzini adds his own twists that lift the book out of the ordinary into a new kind of contemporary noir classic.
Jordan Wise is the stereotypical accountant. A spinster schoolteacher would lead a more interesting life than he does. He's worked for the same corporation for many years; he's the kind of person who is so bland that you can't remember his name three seconds after being introduced. If you had to match his personality to a crayon color, it would be light gray. As the book opens in the present day, Jordan is talking with a journalist and drops the bombshell that he has pulled off three perfect crimes more than 20 years earlier. How could such a nebbish have been involved in anything more criminal than taking an extra piece of dry cleaning by accident? Certainly, there is more to the surface than meets the eye as far as Jordan is concerned.
Of course, it's all because of a woman—isn't it always? Amazingly, Jordan meets a beautiful fashion designer named Annalise Bonner; and she shows some interest in him. That is the pivotal point that drives the entire book, to what lengths Jordan will go to have a relationship with Annalise. She is quite clear that if he can provide her with a luxurious lifestyle, then she'll stay with him. There's nothing about love in the equation. So the first thing that Jordan does is pull off a complicated corporate swindle while changing his identity to become "Richard Laidlaw". He and Annalise take the half million dollars he's stolen and go to the Virgin Islands.
In an incredible piece of writing, Pronzini transforms Jordan into Richard, a completely different man in physical appearance, attitude and bearing. Richard is decisive and, unlike, Jordan, develops some passions in his life, particularly a love of sailing. I did feel that Pronzini went a bit overboard (no pun intended) with the sailing terminology as Richard pursued his interest, and there was one unconvincing reaction as far as Annalise was concerned that gave me pause several times. As you might imagine, the honeymoon doesn't last forever for Annalise and Richard/Jordan. The complications of their relationship drive the other two perfect crimes that Richard commits. Although he can gloat about his accomplishments, he loses more than he gains along the way.
Pronzini is an astonishing author. Best known for the Nameless Detective series which is approaching 30 books in length, he has written several wonderful standalone novels as well, each of them very different from the other. THE CRIMES OF JORDAN WISE has everything that a reader could want—complex characters with layers of motivation, an engaging plot, crisp yet descriptive writing and some unexpected developments that keep the suspense high and the pace moving. CRIMES is a classic tale of love, lust, greed and betrayal; but as always, Pronzini adds his own twists that lift the book out of the ordinary into a new kind of contemporary noir classic.
January 3, 2012
What Makes a Perfect Murder?
I’ve always wondered if a perfect murder counts if the killer feels compelled to dish all–and then actually dishes all. (For what is probably my favorite “perfect” murder book, check out Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.”)
Anyway, this book I’m reviewing is “The Crimes of Jordan Wise” by Bill Pronzini. It’s a pretty good perfect-murder book. The protagonist, Jordan Wise, starts with a totally different perfect crime, embezzling. The writing, in first person point of view, is smooth, engaging and accessible. It also caused me to wonder if a perfect crime is really perfect if it wreaks an emotional toll on the killer. What exactly is a perfect crime? Some people think a perfect murder is one in which people don’t know a death, or a crime, even occurred. This seems to be Jordan Wise’s school of thought.
Is a murder perfect if one person finds out but never tells the cops? Again, I guess this depends on individual definitions of perfect. Jordan’s definition seems to shift often, and I don’t think he realizes it. Maybe the point of the book is that no crime can be perfect.
All in all, I definitely recommend this book. I read the ebook version, which apparently had conversion issues from the print version. Namely, the issues are with many letter “u”s and letters “li.” If the print book was scanned for ebook, the program probably saw many “li”s as “u”s. This was not a huge deal to me and made for some entertaining new words. However, it boggles me to think no one would bother to do a simple scan/proofread of the ebook.
I’ve always wondered if a perfect murder counts if the killer feels compelled to dish all–and then actually dishes all. (For what is probably my favorite “perfect” murder book, check out Agatha Christie’s “And Then There Were None.”)
Anyway, this book I’m reviewing is “The Crimes of Jordan Wise” by Bill Pronzini. It’s a pretty good perfect-murder book. The protagonist, Jordan Wise, starts with a totally different perfect crime, embezzling. The writing, in first person point of view, is smooth, engaging and accessible. It also caused me to wonder if a perfect crime is really perfect if it wreaks an emotional toll on the killer. What exactly is a perfect crime? Some people think a perfect murder is one in which people don’t know a death, or a crime, even occurred. This seems to be Jordan Wise’s school of thought.
Is a murder perfect if one person finds out but never tells the cops? Again, I guess this depends on individual definitions of perfect. Jordan’s definition seems to shift often, and I don’t think he realizes it. Maybe the point of the book is that no crime can be perfect.
All in all, I definitely recommend this book. I read the ebook version, which apparently had conversion issues from the print version. Namely, the issues are with many letter “u”s and letters “li.” If the print book was scanned for ebook, the program probably saw many “li”s as “u”s. This was not a huge deal to me and made for some entertaining new words. However, it boggles me to think no one would bother to do a simple scan/proofread of the ebook.
January 8, 2016
This is without a doubt Pronzini's best standalone novel. The author himself has named it as one of his favorites. He was in peak form when he wrote this.
It's far more than a crime story or a thriller. It raises questions about our true natures and the lives we could have had if we had made different choices.
Jordan Wise may be an embezzler, but he's a compelling character, and we admire his bravery. We're with him all the way.
Don't miss this one--but also, get busy and read all the Nameless Detective books. And then all the standalone novels! Pronzini has created quite a legacy for us to explore.
It's far more than a crime story or a thriller. It raises questions about our true natures and the lives we could have had if we had made different choices.
Jordan Wise may be an embezzler, but he's a compelling character, and we admire his bravery. We're with him all the way.
Don't miss this one--but also, get busy and read all the Nameless Detective books. And then all the standalone novels! Pronzini has created quite a legacy for us to explore.
September 22, 2007
The Crimes of Jordan Wise by Bill Pronzini
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery, 2006, 231 pgs
TIME/PLACE: 1977-2005; San Francisco, St. Thomas, VI
CHARACTERS: Jordan Wise/accountant
COMMENTS: Jordan Wise is a mild-mannered, non-descript accountant for a large firm in San Francisco. He meets Annalise & knows he has to do something daring to have her. He embezzles $ in order to have a future w/ her. They move to St. Thomas but the $ isn't enough for Annalise & life in paradise is far from perfect.
RATING: 4.5/B+
GENRE/PUB DATE/# OF PGS: Mystery, 2006, 231 pgs
TIME/PLACE: 1977-2005; San Francisco, St. Thomas, VI
CHARACTERS: Jordan Wise/accountant
COMMENTS: Jordan Wise is a mild-mannered, non-descript accountant for a large firm in San Francisco. He meets Annalise & knows he has to do something daring to have her. He embezzles $ in order to have a future w/ her. They move to St. Thomas but the $ isn't enough for Annalise & life in paradise is far from perfect.
May 17, 2013
I absolutely loved this book! I read it over the course of one week and couldn't put it down. I read it at the gym and stayed on the treadmill and elliptical far pass my time. This man was brilliant even after he met his money hungry girlfriend. Most books and stories have it were the men lose everything because of a woman, but this man didn't. He played his cards well all the way to the end.
December 22, 2010
This was a quick read. It is the dark tale of a man named Jordan Wise who changes his lifestyle and steals money to win back the woman he loves. I liked the story, but could have done without some of the language. The author was very good at creating a mental picture for his readers.
September 19, 2013
Audiobook narrated by my favorite Richard Ferrone: This is my favorite type of book, written in first person, with great character development, unpredictable plot and an unusual ending. Of course, the narrator makes a big difference. I wish it was a little longer.
September 28, 2013
Best Book I've read this year. The developement of the characters was excellent and the crimes were not overdone like some novels. I think in some cases keeping it basic produces the best results
August 26, 2013
This got really close to 4 stars...
October 5, 2018
Jordan Wise is a rather nondescript accountant for a San Francisco company. His life promises to be relatively uneventful. So unremarkable is he that few women ever pay him much attention. What few relationships he has are short lived and unimpressive. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. He’s pretty sure if he continues to live his quiet, even-keel life, someone who wants the same thing will be drawn to him, and there will be a family and a small house.
Annalise Bonner is physically beautiful with a soul encased in a carapace of ambition and greed. When Jordan meets her, he is captivated, and from that moment on, his life changes.
As the relationship deepens, he morphs from Jordan Wise the accountant to Richard Laidlaw the embezzler. Annalise initially tells Jordan she’s fond of him, but ultimately wants nothing to do with him because the timid Jordan can’t give her what she wants—big bucks and an exciting life. But Richard Laidlaw, the embezzler, can give her those things, and he does. For a brief period of years, the two live well as a result of Jordan’s first perfect crime—evaporating half a million from his engineering company’s accounts.
But things are rarely static in life, and the insatiable sexual appetite of Annalise draws her to a younger man and eventually to a breakup of the relationship. Not long after that, Jordan/Richard commits the second of his three crimes. A third follows some years after that. Worst of all, Jordan/Richard loses a valuable friendship, and in so doing comes to recognize that perhaps his crimes are less-than perfect.
This is the kind of book you will read to peel back layers of psychological creepiness. This is the restrained philosopher Bill Pronzini writing in his masterful way. You’ll be pulled into this from the opening page when a writer visits an aging Jordan Wise in the Caribbean, strikes up a conversation, and casually encourages Wise to tell his story. While this may not be the best or most memorable of Pronzini’s books, it is way up there, and it will remain with you for quite some time.
Annalise Bonner is physically beautiful with a soul encased in a carapace of ambition and greed. When Jordan meets her, he is captivated, and from that moment on, his life changes.
As the relationship deepens, he morphs from Jordan Wise the accountant to Richard Laidlaw the embezzler. Annalise initially tells Jordan she’s fond of him, but ultimately wants nothing to do with him because the timid Jordan can’t give her what she wants—big bucks and an exciting life. But Richard Laidlaw, the embezzler, can give her those things, and he does. For a brief period of years, the two live well as a result of Jordan’s first perfect crime—evaporating half a million from his engineering company’s accounts.
But things are rarely static in life, and the insatiable sexual appetite of Annalise draws her to a younger man and eventually to a breakup of the relationship. Not long after that, Jordan/Richard commits the second of his three crimes. A third follows some years after that. Worst of all, Jordan/Richard loses a valuable friendship, and in so doing comes to recognize that perhaps his crimes are less-than perfect.
This is the kind of book you will read to peel back layers of psychological creepiness. This is the restrained philosopher Bill Pronzini writing in his masterful way. You’ll be pulled into this from the opening page when a writer visits an aging Jordan Wise in the Caribbean, strikes up a conversation, and casually encourages Wise to tell his story. While this may not be the best or most memorable of Pronzini’s books, it is way up there, and it will remain with you for quite some time.
December 5, 2018
I chose this book because I thought the cover was great as I was scrolling through available books in Libby.
Mom was right, don't judge a book by its cover.
I love the premise... there's an old guy sitting at the bar by himself. Someone approaches him and asks for his story. Turns out, his story is the story of three "perfect crimes" which transformed him from boring accountant to felon, and the colorful woman who enticed him to do it.
The story was good, but the telling didn't work for me. Too many details, about the embezzlement, about his sex life, about learning to sail. It just droned on and on at times. Jordan Wise was not a good person, nor was his muse. Blech.
Mom was right, don't judge a book by its cover.
I love the premise... there's an old guy sitting at the bar by himself. Someone approaches him and asks for his story. Turns out, his story is the story of three "perfect crimes" which transformed him from boring accountant to felon, and the colorful woman who enticed him to do it.
The story was good, but the telling didn't work for me. Too many details, about the embezzlement, about his sex life, about learning to sail. It just droned on and on at times. Jordan Wise was not a good person, nor was his muse. Blech.
January 5, 2025
PROS:
- unique storyline
- actually smart executions of murder
- excellent character building for all main characters PLUS sub-characters
- the depiction of how interpersonal relationships differ between characters
CONS:
- for being published in 2006, the author made the main character blatantly ignorant towards black people continuously throughout the book, and it was absolutely not needed. especially the very clear racist comment that had no place in the book. was v disappointed
- unique storyline
- actually smart executions of murder
- excellent character building for all main characters PLUS sub-characters
- the depiction of how interpersonal relationships differ between characters
CONS:
- for being published in 2006, the author made the main character blatantly ignorant towards black people continuously throughout the book, and it was absolutely not needed. especially the very clear racist comment that had no place in the book. was v disappointed
January 16, 2024
I’d have given this 4 stars but it lacked a certain pizzazz. In spite of committing a bold crime, perfectly crafted, a man’s life deflates, incrementally, after that. Perhaps the story, starting with great promise, is simply too matter-of-fact.
September 24, 2018
Very unusual story. I imagine it was easier to commit the crimes before computer trails.
October 21, 2021
This is a big time page turner, love the narrator’s voice.
November 30, 2021
You know how a short list of the Great American Crime Novel would have to feature works by Hammett and Chandler and Cain and Westlake? This book would have to be on that list. It's that damned good.
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November 1, 2023Almost uncomfortable with the level of blatant vulgarity. But otherwise a suspenseful story.
October 28, 2012
Eh, I'm not sure where to come down on this one. Some male readers may enjoy it, but it lacks the action and thrill of many traditional male focused novels.
I'd agree with the assessment of it being more of a modern noir novel than a traditional novel. The male protagonist isn't particularly likeable. His wife is even less so.
While it was a bit longer than I though it should have been, I finished it and nearly enjoyed it. With that said, I would credit Richard Ferrone in accomplishing this feat. He is one of my favorite narrators n
I'd agree with the assessment of it being more of a modern noir novel than a traditional novel. The male protagonist isn't particularly likeable. His wife is even less so.
While it was a bit longer than I though it should have been, I finished it and nearly enjoyed it. With that said, I would credit Richard Ferrone in accomplishing this feat. He is one of my favorite narrators n
July 16, 2015
Non-series Thriller. Finalist 2006 Hammett Prize.
Thriller - Jordan Wise relates his story in a 28 year flashback. From his table in a Virgin Islands bar, he tells a writer of the three "perfect crimes" he committed, starting in San Francisco in 1977, and how they lead to his life in the Islands.
Thriller - Jordan Wise relates his story in a 28 year flashback. From his table in a Virgin Islands bar, he tells a writer of the three "perfect crimes" he committed, starting in San Francisco in 1977, and how they lead to his life in the Islands.
January 7, 2020
I don't mind a pulpy read but this was predictable, and dated, particularly the "magical negro" trope in the character "Bone" who dished out wisdom, and taught our protagonist to sail for free. I had to check when it was written and I couldn't believe it was this year. Though it's a period story, it's not a very contemporary telling.
February 15, 2009
A meek accountant in an engineering firm meets a woman on the edge and commits a crime in order to be with her. Well written. I was able to read it in one day.
June 8, 2009
This is my first read by Pronzini. It was a fast exciting read. He builds characters without too much detail. It was interesting to see the changes in this man as his life unfolded.
April 21, 2010
Always loved his Nameless Detective books . This was OK .
April 20, 2010
St. Thomas. Fun listen - rum tasting, sunsets, chachaville
February 7, 2011
Pronzini is a fabulous mystery writer with fascinating characters, good plots and language that's expressive and true to life.
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