Book Review: Fourth and Wrong by Sean Patrick Little (2021)

Synopsis: C.S. "Duff" Duffy doesn't talk a lot about his time in Bensonhurst, the Canadian psychiatric hospital he was sent to as a teenager. His friend and business partner, Aberforth "Abe" Allard learns more about Duff's experience when Duff's former bully, Hank Novak, shows up at their detective agency asking them for help for his daughter, Sarah, who has been arrested for murdering her boyfriend, a division III college quarterback with NFL aspirations. The pair agree to help but Duff's sleuthing skills might be hindered by a pair of distractions - his hatred for Novak and the proximity to the unsolved murder of a friend that resulted in Duff being sent to Bensonhurst to begin with.

Review: I came across Fourth and Wrong earlier this year but held off on requesting a copy at my library until after I read the book that came before it, The Single Twin. After reading a couple other books in between, I finally checked it out this week and was not disappointed.

I think one of the things I liked most about this book is it is written by a fellow Wisconsinite and as a result of that, a lot of things spoke to me, whether it was Duff's late-night Kwik Trip run or how the fictional University of Wisconsin-Rockland reminded me a lot of the smalltown UW college I attended. While it wasn't something that was necessarily needed for me to enjoy the book, it certainly didn't hurt.

The murder mystery itself was also intriguing. While it was somewhat clear Sarah wasn't the killer from the start and instead was arrested on weak and likely planted evidence, there were plenty of others who could either easily be the killer or, like her, just seem to have a motive. This suspect list included a wide range of motives as well, including things like potential gambling debts, a lost job opportunity, a jealous teammate and long line of jilted ex-lovers (plus their boyfriends). The murder method itself also raised questions based on how unlikely it would be for the victim to be killed so easily in that way. 

As a result of all of this, while I was able to correctly guess at who the killer was, I didn't quite know the how or why part of it.

As was the case with The Single Twin, Abe and Duff were as interesting as the murder mystery itself with both receiving equal treatment. In Duff's case, we learned more about his past, including the murder of his best friend and her family that started his downward spiral and had his attention split between the present and the past. The history he had with Novak added to that, with the latter trying to make amends and Duff's inability to let go hindering that effort.

Abe, in the meantime, was forced to face his social anxiety by trying to serve as Sarah's attorney and get her out on bail while the case was being investigated. As someone who suffers from that myself, I felt quite a bit of empathy for him and gained a new understanding about why he is a licensed attorney but doesn't practice. The way his own failed marriage made it easy for him pick out red flags relating to other relationships was also an intriguing gift/curse.

If I had any complaints, it would be the book did make the police detective, Pam Jahnke, seem a little too incompetent. It's the same complaint I have with some Perry Mason books regarding Lt. Tragg. When the police do a good job and still get the wrong guy (or in this case, woman), it makes the protagonists look amazing when they find the missing or misidentified clue. In comparison, when a police detective like Jahnke bases a case solely on a discarded cell phone and very limited investigative work, it doesn't give the heroes quite the same opportunity. 

Final Opinion: It's a good murder mystery with a pair of intriguing detectives. While I would have maybe preferred a bit more of an open-and-shut case against Sarah, I enjoyed reading it and would recommend it.

My Grade: A-

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Here are some other book reviews:

Book Review: Death of a Spy by M. C. Beaton with R W. Green (2024)

Book Review: The Forbidden Garden by Simon Parkin (2024)

Book Review: Code Name Blue Wren by Jim Popkin (2023)