Palm Beach is in the news quite a bit lately – you know, the Mar-a-Lago version of Palm Beach. Well, apparently, there is another side to this town, and it is the setting for Bob Brink’s Murder in Palm Beach, a work of what is sometimes called “faction.” It is a novel that is based on true events, in other words.

In this story, Mitt Hecher is not a model citizen and he was known to battle other individuals and even the police. He wasn’t a murderer, but with a corrupt judicial system and some local prosecutors wanting to make a name for themselves, there is a conviction of an innocent man.
The murder victim, Rodger Kriger, lives with his family in the “nice” part of PB. He was shot at home and died after 11 days in the hospital. As is often the case (I watched The Wire, so I know these things!), the cops and courts can’t be relied on to provide justice. All the police want is to solve the murder (get a conviction of SOMEONE) to boost their statistics and they don’t take time to be sure of the facts.

Mitt has a sick wife and a child, to add to his problems – as in, who can care for them with him in prison? TBH, I found this a bit depressing, and as it is/was apparently Mr. Brink’s debut novel, I don’t want to be too harsh. It just wasn’t my thing. Two stars, for effort. And thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.