The Blind Devotion of Imogene
David Putnam
282 pages
Level Best Books
Published July 9th, 2024
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Amazon | GoodReads
The Blind Devotion of Imogene is a noirish crime caper set in a small USA town in the early 1970s, by the author of the Bruno Johnson thriller series. I beta read this for the author nearly two years ago, but had forgotten most of what happened (that’s my memory at fault, not a commentary on the plot by the way) so reread a review copy through NetGalley. It’s taken me three weeks to finish, which is long for me, and that could be because I found it a bit slow, or perhaps I just wasn’t as engaged the second time round. I liked rather than loved it – partly because of the characters and also because I felt it ended with several questions unanswered and fates unresolved. It’s still a fun madcap read with a rather unique heroine.
Imogene spent ten years in prison for accidentally killing her husband, and is now out on parole, working in a store selling cut price dented cans of food in a poor part of town. All Imogene wants is to be left alone to smoke Marlboros and dream about her neighbour Bernie, and getting her book published, but people keep coming to her for help. Then her problems really start to pile up when her parole officer tries to get her thrown back in jail, a local gangster shows up demanding protection payments, and her best friend unearths an unpleasant surprise in the basement…
Stories about curmudgeonly elderly protagonists have become very popular in recent years, so this should appeal to those who like bleak comedy and wacky characters rather than action & thrills. Imogene is not a nice lady – she’s broken after her time in prison and losing her beloved Wayne, but she still tries to do the right thing, even when her friends and acquaintances are driving her nuts with their idiocy. There’s a lot going on, with subplots about her relationship to the Secret Service and the book she wrote about an elderly woman’s attempts to assassinate the president, flashbacks to her past, both recent and distant, and a couple of minor mysteries. I felt it ended too abruptly when I wanted to know how everything turned out. It’s possible a sequel could be planned which would resolve this issue. The author’s afterword explains which elements were inspired by real life people he knew, including his grandmother, who raised him. Thanks to NetGalley and David Putnam for the ARC.
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