John Caudill, Who Killed Harlan Parker? Louisville, KY: Hidden Letter Publishing, 2018. ISBN: 9780578606798.
(Link to GoodReads record as no WorldCat record available at this time).
Genre: mystery, humor
Subgenre: Kentuckiana
Format: e-book galley
Source: Provided by author in exchange for honest review via BookTasters.
I recently finished reading this, and I have to say this was a fun book to read. It has a nice blend of mystery, some satire, and humor along with attention to Kentuckiana details. I had a good time reading this.
Harlan Parker is Summerville's premier attorney. He is also the biggest lying, cheating, philandering, unethical, and most immoral attorney in Summerville. There is no legal and not so legal maneuver he won't do, and he leaves a trail of angry husbands whose wives he has slept with. So when Harlan goes missing, and eventually we find out he is murdered, Detective Wilt and his partner Detective Andrews pretty much have most if not all of the town as suspects. Most everyone has been screwed over by Harlan somehow, or they know someone screwed over by Harlan. This goes from members of Harlan's own law firm to clients and former clients to rival lawyers and their clients. Plenty of people would love to see Harlan dead.
The author establishes the setting well. If you've lived in Kentucky for a while, you will recognize a lot about towns like Summerville. The author also develops the characters well. Often we meet a character, say Detective Wilt, then the author takes us back in time to see how the character develops and comes up. I found some of those flashbacks segments interesting.
The author takes us from Harlan's disappearance to the investigation to the eventual trial for Harlan's murder. Along the way, we meet the key suspects and see their motivations. In some cases, we need to be honest: some suspects are just as bad if not worse than Harlan. Harlan is not the only corrupt one in town. Others are engaged in their own crimes, rackets, and corruption. Harlan is not likeable nor sympathetic, but neither are some of the people in town. For us readers, part of the fun is figuring out which of those rogues did it.
In addition, the author uses a bit of satire and humor along the way. Some of the elements of the town's life and characters may seem a bit ridiculous, yet if you live in Kentucky, or perhaps in a similar town, you'll recognize a lot of things you might identify with or even relate to. That is a strength of this book. Some of the characters could be your neighbors.
Overall, this is a fun and entertaining mystery. Once I picked it up, I had to keep going, and it kept my attention to the end. I laughed once or twice while reading the book too. This is a book I will recommend to others gladly. I think this can be a good selection for public libraries, especially in Kentucky, but this overall a good book for anyone who likes their mystery with a bit of humor. I am glad to have read it, and I think others will enjoy it as well.
5 out of 5 stars.
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Some additional reading notes:
A description of Harlan Parker:
"Parker is not only the wealthiest lawyer in town, he's the most despised. Hall of the businessmen in Summerville and most lawyers in the area have a story over the past twenty plus years about how Parker's swindled them out of a case or client. The chatter will be neither flattering nor sympathetic" (8).
I found interesting the local chain reaction as Parker's firm is disbanded due to him being gone. Despicable as he was, Harlan Parker was also an economic driver in the town:
"Within a couple of months, the firm will disband, and they will have to move out of the nicest office space on the downtown square into far more modest surroundings. The firm's cash cows will scatter to the wind, including lucrative small businesses and well-heeled criminal clients Parker has represented on healthy retainers for years" (9).
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This book qualifies for the following 2021 Reading Challenges:
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