Untouchable: 5 (Tales from the Robbery-Homicide Division) - Softcover

Berman, Peter S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 173351600X ISBN 13: 9781733516006

Publisher: Peter S. Berman, 2019

Synopsis

An early morning call to police of a woman screaming ends up as a rape murder. The victim is a college girl and the daughter of a police officer, so when the case goes cold it is given to Detectives Donahue, Gibson, and Thompson from the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division. Through diligent work, they will unravel a story that will lead them to London, Istanbul, and eventually to the Royal House of Saud.Is the American government involved? And if so, why? Will justice ever be served? The surprise ending will provide a twist that brings it all back home.

About this title

Review

Reviewed By Viga Boland for Readers' Favorite Review Rating: 5 Stars
It's always satisfying to discover another author whose writing you appreciate. It's even better to find he or she has several more books for you to read next. So, it was with the anticipation of enjoying another good book by Peter S. Berman that I selected Untouchable, which like the previous book I'd read, The Strangler's Knot, deals with a cold case. And who better to tell the story than an author who, now a retired District Attorney, still volunteers his considerable experience to investigate unsolved homicide cases.

In Untouchable, the cold case centers on the rape and murder of the beautiful, blonde college student daughter of a cop following a night of enjoying herself with friends at a club. When homicide detectives Gibson and Donahue from the LAPD Robbery-Homicide Division are assigned the 6-year-old case, the lack of information hampers every effort to zero in a possible suspect ... until someone remembers seeing a frequent handsome "player" at that club, who stopped coming around shortly after the murder. It's a thin possibility that this skirt-chasing male just might not have been interviewed by investigators way back when, but Jennifer Donahue, like a dog with a bone, despite mounting resistance from the US State Department, decides to pursue that lead to England and Istanbul. What she and her colleagues discover about the identity of the rapist-murderer, his connections, and the lack of records on this perp's activities shocks everyone...and gives the reader every motivation to keep turning the pages of Untouchable.

One of the things that Peter S. Berman does that not too many other crime authors do, possibly because they're afraid of slowing down the pace too much, is bring the police in this story to life: they are real human beings with real feelings and everyday worries, who try to do their jobs despite family, health and social issues. Donahue's boyfriend is a doctor but their schedules and their dedication to their professions challenge their hope of a future together. Gibson's wife suddenly has a heart attack shortly after this cold case investigation begins. Berman is skilled at helping readers identify with their personal and professional stresses without jeopardizing the tension and pace of the plot. The result? Untouchable is another engaging, suspenseful crime story where victims and perps aren't the only persons of interest. Keep 'em coming, Peter S. Berman. I'm a fan!

From the Author

While my stories are fiction, they are often based in part on real crimes or investigations that I have witnessed or been a part of during my years in law enforcement. The stories are composites of different cases which are melded together to broaden the complexity of the storylines. That said, there is a healthy amount of fiction sprinkled throughout to enable the twists and turns that make a good story compelling. I also try to make my characters as real and as human as possible. None of them are perfect, all have flaws, but for the most part, they reflect the reality of what it means to be a participant in law enforcement or in other sectors of the criminal justice system. What has surprised me most of all as a writer has been the way the recurring characters have come to life for me, and how they have grown and matured as time has gone on. I see them as being real, and because I know them so well, it has enabled me to easily anticipate how they will feel and react to the complex situations I manage to thrust them into. For me, it is a bit like playing at being God; a very weighty tome that forces me to keep writing while watching their lives play out.

Edition details

• Publisher: Peter S. Berman
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 173351600X
• ISBN 13: 9781733516006
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 285