Prime Suspects

A Clone Detective Mystery

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

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.

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.

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.

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!!!

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

Surprisingly Good

I almost didn't get this because it's shorter than most books, and I like long, full bodied novels. Well this one is full bodied, just didn't have all the filler most novels do. I liked the general description of the book, so gave it a chance -- so glad I did: plenty of action, thought provoking, twisting, and just as good as books twice as long. I was afraid I'd feel cheated or unsatisfied, but it was just the opposite. I'll look for more by this author.

Brilliant

Such a great premise for a story and done really well too. Keeps you guessing right to the end. I’ve listened to other books by Jim before and really enjoyed those too.
Great narrating; perfect pacing and great character voices.
Looking forward to hearing the rest of the series.
This is my honest opinion on a free review copy.

Amazing book

Brilliant storyline enjoyed this audio book very much
Love every minute for the storyline
Must buy

Great who done it mystery.

Great premise, and engaging story! Definetely need to check out more from Jim Bernheimer, and a definite recommend from me ;)

A Fantastic Futuristic Detective Mystery

I really enjoyed this. Very cyberpunk / noir-esque. Who murdered Bagini Prime? Listen and find out. It kept me guessing until the end. I've listened to this several times now, it's that good. My only complaint here, is that it was way too short. Jeffrey's narration really helps bring this story to life also. I'd suggest checking out the rest of Jim Bernheimer's back catalog if you liked Prime Suspects. Anything from him is an enjoyable read/listen.

Unfortunately, the last book released by this author was 2017(?). It's nearly mid 2023 as I write this, so I fear he has stopped writing all together. I really hope he comes back one day soon to finish writing his D-List, Spirals, and Dead Eye series though. They are all such great books, but have all ended on cliffhangers and each require a final book to tie up all the loose ends.

Anyway, back to this audiobook, 5/5 stars! Highly recommended.