Past Crimes

A Van Shaw Novel

By: Glen Erik Hamilton

Narrated by: Jeff Harding

When his estranged grandfather is shot and left for dead, an army ranger plunges into the criminal underworld of his youth to find a murderer - and uncovers a shocking family secret.

From the time he was six years old, Van Shaw was raised by his Irish immigrant grandfather, Donovan, to be a thief - to boost cars, beat security alarms, crack safes, and burglarize businesses. But at 18 Dono's namesake and protégé suddenly broke all ties to that life and the people in it. Van escaped into the military, serving as an elite army ranger in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now, after 10 years of silence, Dono has asked his grandson to come home to Seattle. "Tar abhaile más féidir leat" - "Come home if you can."

Taking some well-earned leave, Van heads to the Pacific Northwest, curious and a little unnerved by his grandfather's request. But when he arrives at Dono's house in the early hours of the morning, Van discovers the old thief bleeding out on the floor from a gunshot to the head. The last time the two men had seen each other, Dono had also been lying on the floor - with Van pointing a gun at his heart. With a lifetime of tough history between him and the old man, the battle-tested ranger knows the cops will link him to the crime.

To clear his name and avenge his grandfather, Van must track down the shooter. Odds are strong that Dono knew the person. Was it a greedy accomplice? A disgruntled rival? Diving back into the illicit world he'd sworn to leave behind, Van reconnects with the ruthless felons who knew Dono best. Armed with his military and criminal skills, he follows a dangerous trail of clues that leads him deeper into Dono's life - and closer to uncovering what drove his grandfather to reach out after years of silence. As he plummets back into this violent, high-stakes world where right and wrong aren't defined by the law, Van finds that the past is all too present...and that the secrets held by those closest to him are the deadliest of all.

Edgy and suspenseful, rich with emotional resonance, gritty action, and a deep-rooted sense of place, Past Crimes trumpets the arrival of a powerful new noir talent.

©2015 Glen Erik Hamilton (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers

Irish Rascals in Seattle -- Let's Go!

What other book might you compare Past Crimes to and why?

A little bit reminiscent of the Dismas Hardy series, in that Dismas is also (1) Irish and (2) not above a little extra-legal activity. Van Shaw is a great protagonist and in his memories we get to know his Irish crook of a grandfather as well. (I may have had one of those myself, so perhaps I'm biased.) Interesting secondary characters, too. I'll be looking for Van's return appearance.

decent listen

I'm hard to Please when it comes to reads/listens but I enjoyed this book. I suspect the series only gets better so I will be downloading the next installment shortly.

Narrator took a lot away

Would you try another book from Glen Erik Hamilton and/or Jeff Harding?

Only if it's a daily deal!

Who was your favorite character and why?

Probably Hollis - certainly not Van or Dono. A protagonist that is just too good in all categories is no fun, and takes away from the book. However, protagonists that are either really nasty (Dono) or just impossible to understand (Van) are no fun either. I think this writer was aiming for a Jack Reacher (Lee Child) type of character, but he missed.

How could the performance have been better?

The narrator made every woman sound like the church lady on SNL. He couldn't come close to an irish accent - it certainly doesn't have to be perfect...but I actually still am not sure if certain characters were supposed to have Irish accents, or some weird mix of NYC and upper midwest.
I will say he was impressive with his ability actually change his voice, i.e. the characters sounded so different that I almost wondered if there were multiple people narrating at times.
However, he was truly awful at A) women's voices and B) kids/adolescents. So bad that I had a difficult time getting past the almost comical child or woman's voice and focusing on plot.

Was Past Crimes worth the listening time?

Up until the last several chapters. Really dragged at the end.

Any additional comments?

The writer has potential - needs some guidance and better editing.

GREAT Listen

Would you listen to Past Crimes again? Why?

Yes. Entertainment - the book had plenty of characters, lots of action, twists and turns. Loved it enough to be sure I would love it again .

What was one of the most memorable moments of Past Crimes?

Finding the treasure

Have you listened to any of Jeff Harding’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

My first, I believe, but I will be looking for more.

Any additional comments?

Could I please give this six stars? Hamilton has thoroughly entertained me with Past Crimes. I don't want to spoil this for the next reader, so I will just say I am very impressed with the plot, the characters and the excellent narrator. Highly recommended!

Great first in a new series.

Great first in a new series! I enjoyed the narrator, he brought the book to life! I've been searching for a new series; eager for the next book. Twists till the last chapter....I didn't anticipate the villain!
If anyone is like me, eager for a new character, this is a good read.

I am not Irish so I think I missed something

To me the story was okay.
The characters were okay.
But there was no magic moment to the story"
When it was over I was like okay, what's next .... I get it a man with a rough background joins the army, gets a message his grandfather wants to see him. Grandfather is killed when he rids up. Gets hassled by the cops....grandpas was a bad guy but wanted to do something good for family.....3 or four mysteries are solved some more people get killed and grandpas murderer is discovered... Same old plot as many other books

Great story

Well read good suspense
In short: I liked it!
Word word word word word word

Steer clear of this narrator

Narration was tough. Narrator READ in clipped sentences with his intonation in too many odd spots, especially the end of most sentences. Was not performed as main character recanting a story but again, in clipped sentences

Very enjoyable story.

This was a very enjoyable book. Well woven story. Narration made it sound a little James Cagney-ish and cheesy. Otherwise highly recommended.

Good read

I liked the story line and the characters. The twists and turns kept up to the end.