Unforgiven Victims

by Rob Pierce

It’s been three years since Sherilee Malcolm was acquitted of the murder of her former mentor and lover, Otto Workman. A popular writer, Sherilee goes underground and creates a fictional character for herself, living a life of illusion. And then, one day, it cracks.Washington “Wash” Shank, a detective hired by Sherilee’s lawyers to prove her innocent, is under siege from the firm where he works. His job was to ruin the confidence of the lead witness against Sherilee. Now that man, Simon Parker, claims he has seen a second murder, and believes it was committed by someone who's a dead ringer for Sherilee.A sculptor and multimedia artist, Parker has a show scheduled that will reveal his vision of the murder and Sherilee’s guilt. Parker’s desire to reveal a truth he does not know, but is convinced he does, becomes a point that Shank wants to thwart, and Sherilee wants to disprove. Now, all of their reputations are at stake. But are their lives as well?

228 pages, Paperback

Published February 22, 2024

Reviews

[Ken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fine exploration of the dark corners of its characters’ minds begins with a murder. A famous author, revered by his fans, is shot dead at night on a San Francisco street. A young art student sees the killer. Or does he? I won’t give away details, since I don’t want to spoil the ride. Suffice it to say, the book explores the shifting perceptions of what happened though the minds of its four main characters: two women – either of whom may, or may not, be the killer ‒ and two men who face off in a twisted path around the truth and their own lives. I really dug this book and recommend it for those who like their noir served with troubled characters trying to find themselves and some notion of truth they can accept.

[Teresa Ardrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intimate look at attempting to rebuild a life after tragedy and deception, when you still can’t trust your own thoughts or the people around you, where the past is unresolved and even the present is uncertain, let’s not even talk about the future. Unforgiven Victims looks at the intersecting paths of three strangers, how their lives impact one another’s and how events ripple around them when they collide. You may think you know what is going on, then another layer is exposed, another concussive ripple that sends a shockwave, making you question everything again. You may find yourself feeling as unstable as these characters by the end. Everyone and everything is madness, and it just descends from there.