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Michael Norman
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The Commission: A Sam Kincaid Mystery (Sam Kincaid Series Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Michael Norman (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 292 ratings
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"Norman is off to a fine start with this alternately gripping and repellent crime novel."—Publishers Weekly STARRED review

Levi Vogue, Chairman of the powerful Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, is gunned down in the driveway of his home as he returns from a late evening tryst with an exotic dancer. Sam Kincaid, Chief of the Special Investigations Branch (SIB) of the Utah Department of Corrections, is assigned to help Salt Lake City Police Department homicide detective Lt. Kate McConnell solve Vogue's murder.

The investigation draws Kincaid and McConnell into the city's seedy underbelly, where the investigation focuses on Charles (Slick) Watts, a violent ex-convict with a long criminal history and a score to settle with Levi Vogue. But before Watts can be apprehended, his body is discovered at an abandoned military base in Wendover, Nevada.

Kincaid and McConnell soon expand their theory of the case and are led inside the Utah state prison...

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  1. Print length
    249 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Poisoned Pen Press
  5. Publication date
    May 16, 2007
  6. File size
    1507 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This impressive debut from a criminal justice professor and former lawman exudes verisimilitude from start to finish. When Levi Vogue, chairman of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole, is gunned down execution-style in his Salt Lake City driveway, Sam Kincaid, chief of the Special Investigations Branch of the Utah Department of Corrections, investigates, along with homicide detective Lt. Kate McConnell. An amateurish ransacking of Vogue's house indicates premeditated murder rather than a real burglary, and Kincaid suspects Charles "Slick" Watts, a violent ex-con with a personal grudge against Vogue. But before Watts can be arrested, his body turns up, an apparent suicide. The case gets complicated when the medical examiner finds that Watts was murdered, and Kincaid and McConnell are compelled to look elsewhere—namely to a group of corrupt state prison employees known as "the Commission." Norman is off to a fine start with this alternately gripping and repellent crime novel. (Feb.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Sam Kincaid, head of the Special Investigations Branch of the Utah Department of Corrections, is summoned when Levi Vogue, chairman of the Utah Board of Pardons and Paroles, is gunned down, execution style, in his driveway. Concerned that a paroled perpetrator with a grudge may have killed Vogue, Kincaid teams up with Salt Lake City Police Department Lieutenant Kate McConnell to solve the crime and lessen the political fallout. The two think they have the case wrapped up, but they discover their chief suspect is dead, leading to a widening of the investigation as Sam and Kate uncover a cesspool of corruption in the prison system. Sam, a divorced father, quickly becomes a target, along with his aunt and young daughter. Fast pacing, plot twists, engaging characters, and an inside view of the prison system combine in this strong series debut. Sue O'Brien
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07VLBRPST
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Poisoned Pen Press (May 16, 2007)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 16, 2007
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1507 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 249 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 292 ratings

About the author

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Michael Norman

Michael Norman

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
292 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

R. Jones
5.0 out of 5 stars A JOY TO READ
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2013
Verified Purchase
A big thanks to Michael Norman for this powerfully written story. The plot was direct, with no useless dialogue or wasted words describing fights, chase scenes,or landscapes. The characters are completely believable and well defined. In short, this is a tight, interesting book that I had a hard time putting down. I will be looking for more of Norman's writing.
2 people found this helpful
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Voracious
4.0 out of 5 stars The Commission
Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2012
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This book was well written and well put together. The story progressed logically and, as police procedurals go, was quite entertaining as well. I kind of knew what to expect from the story description prior to my purchase to my kindle. I thought the fact that the protagonist being an officer of the prison system was a nice change from the usual; I.E., police investigator/detective, P.I., etc. It gave a different twist to the story because Sam had to be a lot more careful in proceeding for fear of getting in hot water with a myriad of different agencies and political honchos, rather than having just one boss to answer to. Also the locale was interesting; the Salt Lake City area and it's environs. Most readers would not expect that area to be a hotbed of prostitution and drug crimes but it just goes to show that any place has it's share of sordid individuals. All in all, awell written story and a good read.
One person found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good read
Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2012
Verified Purchase
This was my first book in this series and I really enjoyed the book and look forward to reading more from this series. It has a good plot and kept my interest all through the book. The characters were well developed and realistic. I really like the main character and that he worked for the prison system in co-operation with other police departments. I read a lot of mystery books and enjoyed this one as well as my favorite writers like Lee Child, Grisham, and Baldacci. It was a real steal as a free book from. Amazon.
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Michael E. Tigar
4.0 out of 5 stars Great Start to a New Series
Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2015
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In this first novel, Mr. Norman shows extraordinary skill in plotting, character development and solid police procedure. As it happens, I have had some experience with Utah politics and Salt Lake prosecutors. Mr. Norman captures the way that "things work" in that environment. In this novel, a Utah prison system investigator uncovers a conspiracy within the prison and parole system to shake down inmates and, eventually, to commit a series of crimes that range from money laundering to murder. He shows us knowledge and insight about how the prison system sometimes works. In the Raymond Chandler "mean streets" genre, our hero Sam Kincaid is well-crafted. This is not the Chandler-esque solo knight. Sam Kincaid is what we might call a "post-Robert Parker" kind of guy -- quite a bit more sensitive and self-aware. I won't spoil the experience by saying more. This is worth more than the 99 cents you pay to get it on Kindle. I will now download the other books in the series. But, you say, "why only four stars?" Well, that is just my way of saying that I sometimes wished the writing was a little tighter.
2 people found this helpful
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Cat Moon
3.0 out of 5 stars A Good First Book
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2019
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I liked this book. For a first book it was very good. It was interesting to learn a little about the parole system and how prisons are run. My only issue was that I would have liked to have the main characters developed a little more. I am hoping we will learn more about Sam and Kate in the subsequent books. I will definitely read more in this series.
One person found this helpful
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D. W. Hardin
5.0 out of 5 stars An Inside Look at Correction's Side of Law Enforcement
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2012
Verified Purchase
As author of  A Time To Lie (John Drake)  and having experience in the field of law enforcement, I think Michael Norman gives the reader a look into a field of law enforcement seldom visible to the public. Sam Kincaid is a detective in Utah's Department of Corrections. He is assigned to assist Salt Lake City P.D. Detective Kate McConnell in the investigation of the murder of a parole board member.
Sam Kincaid is realistically presented as a man who is recovering from a painful divorce. The divorce rate is extremely high among law enforcement officers. He tries to balance his professional duties and the responsibility of rearing his young daughter.
I will not discuss the plot because I don't want to be a spoiler. However, the reader will learn how the corrections system functions. Also, the reader will discover the various investigative resources available to corrections officers. It is a fast paced thriller with many twists and turns keeping the reader guessing. I recommend this book to readers who like police procedurals. It is a welcomed addition to this genre.
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David A. Freas
4.0 out of 5 stars LIked it well enough that I want to read more.
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2017
Verified Purchase
This was not a great book, but it was pretty darn good.

It’s a well-told tale of corruption and greed with Norman hitting all the marks for this type of story. About 80% of the story is the characters getting nowhere in their investigation before everything falls into place in the last 50 or so pages. And near the end, the hero saves his family from the bad guy by keeping him talking until backup arrives.

One thing I liked about this story was Norman didn’t have the male and female leads fall into bed almost as soon as the met – a much more realistic scenario than having that happen.

I had a little trouble keeping some of the secondary characters straight. Several of the more important ones had similar names and some appeared briefly early in the story just to get them on stage then disappeared until they were needed to fulfill a specific function.

I only spotted one grammar/punctuation/usage error in this book but there were some quirky formatting issues that made reading a bit tricky where they occurred.

Still, I’d like to read more about these two main characters.
One person found this helpful
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J Scott Morrison
5.0 out of 5 stars Tight Plot, Fascinating Characters, Engrossing Story
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2013
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Even though I've been very busy lately and have had little time to read, I found myself so engrossed by this book that for two nights running I stayed WAY past my bedtime because I couldn't put this story down. Alas, having now finished it, I have now downloaded the sequel and my guess is that I'll be staying up late again.

I was very struck by how tightly plotted this fascinating police procedural is. So often one can find holes in the plot of similar mysteries, but I simply didn't here. And I liked the detectives a lot, which is always a plus.

Good book.

Scott Morrison
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