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An American Tragedy (Peter O'Keefe Book 4) review by RabbitFolkReviews | LitPick Book Reviews
An American Tragedy (Peter O'Keefe Book 4) re...
Age Range - Adult
Genre - Fiction
Five Star Award

LitPick Review

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Age at time of review - 17
Reviewer's Location - Leonardtown, Maryland, United States
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"Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.” Fueled by the societal hysteria of the Satanic panic, visceral accusations of child sexual abuse and devil-worshiping rituals spiral out of control in the “safety” of the suburbs. Suddenly, out-of-the-blue, Virginia Montrose (or “Miss Ginny”), a teacher at Operation Go! (a school for young children) is rapidly assaulted by these baseless, vapid claims against her. Imprisoned and left only with a teacher’s salary to pay for an attorney, her future is looking grim. Cut to Peter O’Keefe, private eye and father to Kelly, an Operation Go! graduate, who is possibly the last hope for Miss Ginny. O’Keefe is a Vietnam veteran, rough around the edges but bent on bettering himself, who has both a killer snark and an impeccable sense of justice. Encouraged strongly by his ex-wife and daughter, he takes the case, even with the unpopular implications in mind and the potential for it all going unpaid, to once and for all clear Miss Ginny’s name. However, paranoia is a powerful drug among the masses and being on the side of “evil” may spell deadly implications for the O’Keefe family.

Opinion: 

Dan Flanigan’s An American Tragedy was not only a fantastic read but a firm commentary on American society today. Similar to Arthur Miller’s famous The Crucible, An American Tragedy reaches into past phenomenons to mirror those of the present, like fear-mongering and blind mob mentality, to name a few. Complementing the story’s relevance is Flanigan’s clear courtroom knowledge. It’s real, it’s intense, and it’s in full force. The courtroom proceedings are displayed in depth and the plot remains accessible to audiences unfamiliar with the material. It also stays realistic and attention-gripping; if anything, the long court procedures allow the readers to feel the tense, impending dread alongside the characters. Additionally, the crushing reality of the plot is fantastically put, with headlines breaking up each chapter. Miss Ginny and Marvin Smith’s (accused of assisting Miss Ginny) incarcerations are disturbingly common for the time (with forensic sciences and DNA testing in the early stages) with a strong reliance on easily swayed witness testimony being of great consideration in courtrooms. Style-wise, An American Tragedy is quite enjoyable. O’Keefe’s internal commentary rarely fails to be entertaining and the character-to-character interactions characterize the relationships of the cast well. The dialogue varies from quick-witted jabs between friends to cold, snide exchanges between the defense and the prosecution when appropriate. Halfway through reading this, I ended up in the rabbit hole of The Innocence Project (reading online and watching the Netflix docu-series), and it gave me some hope for those who find themselves in the shoes of Miss Ginny and Mr. Smith. If you have a general interest in false incarcerations and courtroom thrillers, I HIGHLY recommend this book. And, if you don’t, I suggest you give it a try – you may find that it's totally up your alley!

 
Rating:
5
Content Rating:

Content rating - mature content

Explain your content rating: 

I 100% agree with the rating of Adult/Mature Audiences. The story is about grotesque/demonic child molestations and follows a PI who finds himself in some pretty dangerous situations. A large tactic of the prosecution is to disturb the jury so much that they overlook the defense’s claims and the tactics are shown. I think readers who are highly sensitive to this should maybe sit this one out. There are also great instances of anti-black racism towards Mr.Smith and homophobia towards Ms. Ginny, which some people may find difficult to read. They are much less vivid than the CSA descriptions, as we watch the story through O’Keefe’s eyes and not theirs, but still strong.
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