What do you think?
Rate this book
The Killing of Mindi Quintana
"The crime at the heart of the story is brutal, senseless, sensational...and [the novel is] more than memorable--it's haunting." --David Bradley, PEN/Faulkner Award-winning author of The Chaneysville Incident "Clever, twisted and ultimately insightful, Jeff Cohen's The Killing of Mindi Quintana upends legality and redefines justice--a dazzling debut novel."
--Burl Barer, Edgar Award-winning author of Body Count and Murder in the Family
A killer with a book... A lawyer pushed too far... Freddy Builder kills Mindi Quintana and is writing the book about their relationship everybody wants--it's a lying rewrite of her life and of their miserably thin involvement. Excerpts appearing to acclaim, a televised trial is in the offing, and a new celebrity killer takes the stage--the iconic poet-murderer, a jailhouse literary sensation. Freddy's straight arrow lawyer plays his sworn role as advocate; but as Freddy builds his fame with the bones of his victim, he finds himself dreaming of justice. And of comeuppance. For a killer with a book. For fame through the backdoor of murder.
--Burl Barer, Edgar Award-winning author of Body Count and Murder in the Family
A killer with a book... A lawyer pushed too far... Freddy Builder kills Mindi Quintana and is writing the book about their relationship everybody wants--it's a lying rewrite of her life and of their miserably thin involvement. Excerpts appearing to acclaim, a televised trial is in the offing, and a new celebrity killer takes the stage--the iconic poet-murderer, a jailhouse literary sensation. Freddy's straight arrow lawyer plays his sworn role as advocate; but as Freddy builds his fame with the bones of his victim, he finds himself dreaming of justice. And of comeuppance. For a killer with a book. For fame through the backdoor of murder.
- GenresFiction
247 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 31, 2010
Not everyone likes to read the synopsis of a book before reading the book; you know, the one that falls on the back cover or inside flap of a book. I am not among those. I often base my decision to read a book on the synopsis, determining whether it sounds like something I might be interested in reading or not. Favorite authors, of course, are an exception sometimes. Occasionally I read a synopsis and it turns out to be misleading, but that isn't often. I can only remember one occasion when the synopsis on the inside flap of the cover gave too much away. The reason I bring this up now is because I am undecided about the synopsis provided for The Killing of Mindi Quintana. It isn't misleading, not really, but it does border on giving too much away. And yet, I can also see why offering so much of the plot to perspective readers might be necessary too.
As a result, I am having a difficult time settling on how to summarize this book without spoiling anything. It is about a man, Freddy Builder, the manager of the China department at a department store. His life is rather dull, or so he believes. He dreams of being a writer and being famous. He is just biding his time, making spectacular China displays until opportunity comes knocking at his door. The novel is also about a young beautiful woman, Mindi Quintana, with a big heart and gentle manner who is editor for a literary magazine and once dated Freddy. Freddy's world changes when she walks back into his life. There is Mindi's best friend, the painter, and a defense attorney whose just going through the motions of life, feeling numb. And there is an ambitious prosecutor and a corporate manager who is a bit full of himself. They all are set on a collision course the day Mindi and Freddy meet again. Then there is a murder.
The Killing of Mindi Quintana is an experience all of its own. It is not your usual crime fiction novel. Author Jeffrey A. Cohen's characters seem more like caricatures than fully realized people (except perhaps defense attorney Philip), which, I believe, is the effect he was aiming for. The story itself was satirical. And it worked.
The novel takes a hard look at the notoriety and sensationalism of our society's criminals and their crimes, about how the justice system plays into that and where the victims stand as a result. Freddy seems like your every day sort of man. Stuck in a job he doesn't like, dreaming of bigger things, a man in love, a man done wrong. Freddy, however, is not quite what he seems. He is the epitome of a psychopath.
I liked the way the author wove art into his novel: Freddy's China displays, Mindi's appreciation of words and Lisa's paintings. It seemed a fitting juxtaposition to the crime itself, or, rather, more directly to the aftermath. It also tied into the abstract feel of the novel.
I enjoyed the book overall, finding it both entertaining and thought provoking, and I appreciate what the author set out to accomplish. However, at times I was not completely satisfied with the approach. I think that was more a me issue than the author's. I found the ending quite satisfying and fitting with the rest of the tale. It wasn't an ending I expected, and yet I can't see it ending any other way.
As a result, I am having a difficult time settling on how to summarize this book without spoiling anything. It is about a man, Freddy Builder, the manager of the China department at a department store. His life is rather dull, or so he believes. He dreams of being a writer and being famous. He is just biding his time, making spectacular China displays until opportunity comes knocking at his door. The novel is also about a young beautiful woman, Mindi Quintana, with a big heart and gentle manner who is editor for a literary magazine and once dated Freddy. Freddy's world changes when she walks back into his life. There is Mindi's best friend, the painter, and a defense attorney whose just going through the motions of life, feeling numb. And there is an ambitious prosecutor and a corporate manager who is a bit full of himself. They all are set on a collision course the day Mindi and Freddy meet again. Then there is a murder.
The Killing of Mindi Quintana is an experience all of its own. It is not your usual crime fiction novel. Author Jeffrey A. Cohen's characters seem more like caricatures than fully realized people (except perhaps defense attorney Philip), which, I believe, is the effect he was aiming for. The story itself was satirical. And it worked.
The novel takes a hard look at the notoriety and sensationalism of our society's criminals and their crimes, about how the justice system plays into that and where the victims stand as a result. Freddy seems like your every day sort of man. Stuck in a job he doesn't like, dreaming of bigger things, a man in love, a man done wrong. Freddy, however, is not quite what he seems. He is the epitome of a psychopath.
I liked the way the author wove art into his novel: Freddy's China displays, Mindi's appreciation of words and Lisa's paintings. It seemed a fitting juxtaposition to the crime itself, or, rather, more directly to the aftermath. It also tied into the abstract feel of the novel.
I enjoyed the book overall, finding it both entertaining and thought provoking, and I appreciate what the author set out to accomplish. However, at times I was not completely satisfied with the approach. I think that was more a me issue than the author's. I found the ending quite satisfying and fitting with the rest of the tale. It wasn't an ending I expected, and yet I can't see it ending any other way.
May 5, 2010
From my blog...[return][return]The Killing of Mindi Quintana by Jeffrey A. Cohen is not the typical legal thriller since the reader knows straightaway who will die. What the reader does not know is the delightful plot twist Cohen will add to the novel separating it from others in the same genre. Fredrick Builder has wanted to be a writer since college, never daring to show his work to anyone, not even his girlfriend Mindi. Years later when they reconnect, Mindi is an editor of a literary magazine and working on becoming a published author while Frederick is a manager of the china and glass department in Chanet Department store, and while Mindi has moved on, Fredrick has not, but instead he has pined for Mindi. Mindi learns he is still writing and she offers to read what he has written and gives him her opinion of his writings. Mindi's truthfulness is her undoing and Fredrick finds fame in the most unlikely of places. The beginning of The Killing of Mindi Quintana was slow going, but well worth sticking it out as all the players finally come together and the plot picks up momentum. The legal issues that follow are well written, exciting, and raise intriguing questions, however, I never felt a connection with any of the characters. Cohen's message is clear and should be read. The Killing of Mindi Quintana would make for an excellent discussion group book considering the many legal, moral, psychological and ethical issues raised in this novel.
June 29, 2010
Philip is an attorney. Lately all he has been hearing on the news is about Freddy Builder and the book he is writing. All the fame Freddy is receiving makes Philip just sick to his stomach. Freddy is nothing but a ruthless murderer who does not deserve all the attention he is receiving.
There is one person that Philip cared about very much. Her name was Mindi Quintana. She was sweet and caring. She died violently at the hands of Freddy. Philip will cross lines when he comes face to face with Freddy and makes him face the demons of his past.
I liked the court room scenes in this book. You could see Mr. Cohen’s expertise as a trial attorney in these scenes. I thought Mr. Cohen did a good job in portraying Freddy as a cold, blooded killer, only looking to advance his fifteen minutes of fame by exploiting all his victims. I had no feels for Freddy. My only issue I had with this book was that I wanted to feel more of a connection with Mindi Quintana and who she was. This would have helped me understand better why Philip was fighting so hard for Mindi. I understood Philip being sick with all the attention and fame Freddy was getting from murdering innocent people but just wanted more. I look forward to checking out Mr. Cohen’s next novel, A Plea for Leniency.
There is one person that Philip cared about very much. Her name was Mindi Quintana. She was sweet and caring. She died violently at the hands of Freddy. Philip will cross lines when he comes face to face with Freddy and makes him face the demons of his past.
I liked the court room scenes in this book. You could see Mr. Cohen’s expertise as a trial attorney in these scenes. I thought Mr. Cohen did a good job in portraying Freddy as a cold, blooded killer, only looking to advance his fifteen minutes of fame by exploiting all his victims. I had no feels for Freddy. My only issue I had with this book was that I wanted to feel more of a connection with Mindi Quintana and who she was. This would have helped me understand better why Philip was fighting so hard for Mindi. I understood Philip being sick with all the attention and fame Freddy was getting from murdering innocent people but just wanted more. I look forward to checking out Mr. Cohen’s next novel, A Plea for Leniency.
May 19, 2010
It took me some “speed reading” to get through the first 100 or so pages but once past the the novel got more engaging and had me turning page after page. Cohen’s main character Freddy reminded me of some creepy guy us females try to avoid. You know the ones who seem nice and appear everywhere you go or keep doing things that make you uncomfortable? Then the moment comes and he snaps (figuratively and literally)…that would be Freddy. For a moment I felt like I needed a bath from the disgust I felt towards Freddy a moment after killing her. Throughout The Killing of Mindi Quintana, you watch the main character Freddy change from an “unnoticeable” man to this viscous fame seeking killer who get’s blind sighted in the end.
July 23, 2011
The reader already knows from the title that a known character will be killed, which is a wide plot twist departure from most mysteries & crime novels. I didn't think I'd like the new pattern, but it works, as does the rest of the book, ending included.
The retail management plot & characters at the main character's workplace one hopes is satire, but despite its incredulousness, is an all too probable corporate environment.
I wouldn't say this is a riveting read, but maybe a study of narcissism in the human psyche & an alternative kind of justice.
The retail management plot & characters at the main character's workplace one hopes is satire, but despite its incredulousness, is an all too probable corporate environment.
I wouldn't say this is a riveting read, but maybe a study of narcissism in the human psyche & an alternative kind of justice.
May 18, 2010
Legal thriller with a twist at the end.
July 14, 2010
3.5 stars
My blog post about this book is at this link.
My blog post about this book is at this link.
Want to Read
October 30, 2010Won a copy
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews