Prime Suspects

By: Jim Bernheimer

Narrated by: Jeffrey Kafer

Length: 4 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

Homicide Detective David Bagini awakens in a strange world only to discover that he is, in fact, the 42nd clone of the Bagini line. With no memories of why his Prime entered into a clone contract, he wants answers. The first problem is his Prime is dead and Bagini 42 is in charge of the investigation. The second problem is all the clues point at a clone from his line and they already know all his tricks. How can he solve his own murder when every suspect has his name and face?

©2012 Jim Bernheimer (P)2012 Jim Bernheimer

We have met the enemy and they is us.

Any additional comments?

This is a clever little SciFi book.

You're a detective--one of the best--expected to solve a murder. Failure to do so may cost you and everyone related to you their existence. The murder victim is you. The murderer may be you. You may also be an accomplice. The police chief is interfering in the investigation (also you). And there probably isn't any move you can make that the murderer(s) can't anticipate.

Perhaps the best aspect of the book is it's glimpse into the essence of individuality and self-discovery. It's a nature versus nurture experiment taken to the extreme.

10 of 10 people found this review helpful

Best Clone Detecive Book Ever Written

Okay, I've only read one Detective Clone book - but this was such a great science fiction romp, it merits a lot of superlatives.

David Bagini wakes up as the 42nd clone in a line of top notch homicide detectives in a clone colony. He is imprinted with the memories of David Prime when the original was at the peak of his career. One of those memories is a distaste for ever cloning yourself as he learns his other self sold out his moral code for a comfortable life.

42 has been created to solve a rather unique homicide. It seems that the original David Bagini has been murdered and the most likely suspects are one or more of the other Bagini clones. 42 couldn't have done it because he was created after the crime was discovered. Clones are disposable items in this new world and a human that murders one is given a slap on the wrist for something akin to property damage. Murdering a human or prime is another matter and the entire Bagini line is in danger of being disposed of and restarted if the perpetrator cannot be found.

So can this newest Bagini clone outwit the killer clone? How can you go up against another version of yourself who can anticipate all of your moves? Actually another interesting wrinkle employed by Berhneimer is to explore how another version of yourself could actually get on your nerves. All the clones in the Bagini line do not get along. They try to alter their appearance to gain individuality and one of them (no 11) even went with religion to cope with the clone life provoking puzzlement and disdain from the rest of his duplicates.

The twists we usually expect with a mystery novel are enhanced with the clone perspective - a version of you looks like he committed the crime, but really it was a different version of you - no wait it was that other version who did it. And, why is the clone you report to (number 2) not telling you everything you need to know to solve the case.

I loved this book and would like to see a sequel. You will too.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Agatha Christie Style

Science fiction detective story
in the best traditions of Agatha Christie.
The best is to compare it to Hercules Poirot style of investigating.

Plot:
Try to imagine that you were so good at your work ( Homicide detective)
that you were offered a contract to create copies of yourself
with all your skills and memories.

And now it's time for the best part:
you were just awakened in some strange place,
you are told that your number is 42(funny)
and you have to solve a murder of yourself committed by yourself,
you have 40 suspects and all of them know everything you know
and more,everyone of them knows your every skill and trick up your sleeve.

It's a great book I highly recommend it.

15 of 17 people found this review helpful

Another great book from Jim!!!

Any additional comments?

The Author does a great job mixing in little tidbids of his/my favorite quotes, characters of other novels. He actually mixed in some funny quips about Hitchhickers guide to the galaxy. He includes these in most of his bokks, hhis little pop culture references are great.
In this book he does a good job keeping things straight so you don't get lost with the mass of clones in the story. Some people seem to have a couple hundred clones of themselves in the city/planatoid. very twisty plot and hard to figure out who dunnit. Great writing style with some snarky comedy referenced in. Must read!!!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Clever concept!

What did you love best about Prime Suspects?

The concept is fantastic! The duplicitous notion of the same basic man cloned into so many different aspects of the same murder mystery (hard to answer w/o giving things away here!!) was extremely well thought out, especially in the notion of how each starts at the same point but develops some differently defining characteristic, making them not so clone-like afterall, yet all thinking on the same vein, creating complications along the way

What was one of the most memorable moments of Prime Suspects?

His interaction with Victoria and Carol at Victoria's apartment

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

Yes, a non-fiction piece. This was different. I'll admit that I went into this already of the opinion that Kafer is a strong narrator, having heard his rendition of Age of Context, but not sure what to expect from fiction. I had high expectations. I think he met them, but not the way I expected him to, which I liked even more. In every narrator you can gleam something different, some strength they have. Kafer has a real knack for the subtle. He was not broad with his characters (ironic given they were clones, right?), but painted them together somewhat seamlessly so you rarely had trouble differentiating them and in the end I think that paid off rather nicely. Seriously 42 people of the same genes? It takes a Kafer to make that come across in audio!

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

It could happen....

The recent headline about a successfully cloned sheep influenced how I listened to this audio book. A society based upon human clones. Humans are reluctant to relocate to different planets. This is due to the harshness, high mortality, lack of modern conveniences among a few things. Earth is over populated and desperate for the resources. Some one comes up with a bright idea. Pay off desirable humans with wanted jobs, personalities and more. Offer them a portion of their clones paycheck. Build luxury homes, and other accommodations. You have your donors (aka Primes). Clones are treated as second class citizens. They are considered disposable by humans. The story is from the view point of a hardened police officer. He is 'made' because a Prime has been murdered by one of his clones. Bagini Forty-Two is made from his Prime before said Prime had undergone clone counseling. Unlike other clones, he has no knowledge about being a clone. Forty-Two's thoughts about cloning are 'I'll never do that'. The story is a murder mystery with a lot of twists in the plot. It shows potentially what could happen with humans. It shows how clones could deal with being cloned and each other. I enjoyed this very much. The conflicts about clones and cloning are kept supportive. Forty-Two deals with cloning in such a way as to make him a different thinker from most clones. He thinks outside the clone and his maker box. There is a little predictability with enough twists to keep story interesting. I strongly recommend this book. Forty-Two is under pressure to solve the murder or the entire Bagini Line will be terminated. Jeffrey Kafer reads the story well. His voice is not unlike past movie and television cops.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Who solves your own murder? Your clone, of course.

I was given this book by the narrator through Audiobook Blast in return for an honest review, so here goes. I really enjoyed this story. David Bagini has been murdered, and it's up to David Bagini 42, the 42nd clone to find the killer. The story is set on a planet where The "Primes" License out their clones for different work. These are based on the specialty of the Prime, such as being a renowned chef, a great cop, or a famous detective. When Prime Bagini is killed, a new clone is created to solve the crime, one who has no conflicts of interest or any possibility of having been the killer. Bagini 42 has to contend with hostile versions of himself, a conspiracy that goes way deeper than expected, as well as his own feeling about what being a clone is all about. The story is well fleshed out, with lots of action and traditional detective drama, as well as cool sci-fi elements that are blended in really well. I thought the characters were fleshed out really well, especially seeing as how they are basically all versions of the same people. The Author manages to create individuality among the clones, with their own strengths and foibles gained through life experience. The ending I didn't see coming, so the twist really was effective. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a fun sci fi book that will fill you up while leaving you wanting more with these characters.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Keeps you guessing.

I enjoy a good story that keeps you guessing. Yes, some of it was predictable. But it does not let on who did it until the final reveal. Loved that part!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Witty and entertaining.

I'm not real big on the idea of clones, but I have a hard time turning down a sci-fi mystery. I loved the main character's point of view. From the very beginning I was intrigued by his insights. The descriptions of the other clones and their antics kept me rolling. The plot line in the story had some good twists and will keep you guessing. Narrator Jeffrey Kafer did a good job and I'd listen to other books performed by him. A very entertaining little book.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

A great mix of humor, nitty-gritty, and tough cop.

Would you consider the audio edition of Prime Suspects to be better than the print version?

While I have not read the print, I would say yes because the narrator, Jeffrey Kafer, did such an excellent job.

What other book might you compare Prime Suspects to and why?

Blade Runner by PK Dikc, Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams, Nightside series by Simon Green.

What about Jeffrey Kafer’s performance did you like?

His sarcasm and how he pulled off the smart-ass jokes.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

When you suspect yourself, break out another duplicate to find the culprit.

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. In a world where clones are dispensable and are little more than slave labor, David 42 must muddle his way through with less than cutting edge tech. He’s a copy of a younger, still idealistic David Prime, and hence doesn’t have some of the moral flexibility as some of his other ‘brothers’, such as the partyer, the drug addict, or even the religious commune dweller. For every clone working, the Prime gets a piece of their paycheck, allowing him or her to live in luxury. The clones live and mostly work in this section of the city, in low-rent crappy housing and eating at cheap, vomit-inducing diners. The Primes live and play in Prime City, serviced by mask-wearing clones (makes it easier to ID them as ‘servants’). Most clones have to take on second jobs to have the money to upgrade their living arrangements, such as working as a mall cop. Yes, the quality of life for clones is not all that for the vast majority of them.

A great mix of humor, nitty-gritty, and tough cop makes this an exciting mystery adventure. David Bagini was once one of the best detectives in the galaxy. Not only does 42 have to go up against swamp thugs, a therapist, bureaucracy, and a steep learning curve, he also has to be far more clever than all the other Bagini clones; they all know the tricks of the trade – how to catch a murderer, but also how to avoid being caught.

Since clones are dispensable, they tend to have lots of casual sex. With that statement, you might think there was plenty of that in the book. Nope. Well, not in detail. The orgies are referenced just often enough for the reader to understand that is not what David 42 is looking for. Sadly, he is stuck in a society where casual sex is the norm and long-term, in depth relationships is a deviation. Not like the guy needs that added frustration to his already full agenda of catch the murderer(s) of David Prime and quickly before Those On High decide to scrub the entire Bagini line. Every. Last. Bagini. Clone. Yeah, gone for ever.

While the pacing of this adventure was pretty quick. David 42 was a multi-tasker, such as interviewing a potential suspect while taking the time to learn the latest police-issue firearm at the range. I really liked that 42 didn’t simply wake up and know everything; he had to learn, and learn quickly, as he went. The guns, the hoppers (flying vehicles), the scroll (kind of like a PDA but much, much cooler), and even all the things clones do to individualize themselves. There’s tatts, piercings, constantly changing hair colors, etc. David 42 had a whole culture to learn.

Of course, 42 is a nod to Douglas Adams and there are some jokes through the book that fans of Adams will get. Towel!

All that goodness in less that 5 hours of reading time. My one minor criticism, and it is small, is that I would have liked to see a few more female cops. The novel has female lovers, waitresses, therapists, and finally, 1 female cop. Most of the ladies had well rounded characters and individual traits and the main character did not treat them as sex objects. Yet, it is far future SF and do like to think that certain jobs will balance out in the future – like lady cops and house husbands. Still, minor negative comment on an otherwise very worthy novel.

The Narration: Jeffrey Kafer was a treat to listen to, pulling off the sarcasm, the asshole remarks, the tough cop that is secretly lost and trying to bluff his way through this freaking mess. Yeah, Kafer delivered.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful