Whistler's Angel

All of you Maxim readers are going to need afew more spaces on your "favorite characters" list. The new players Mr. Maxim has brought to us in Whistler's Angel are every bit as memorable as our old favorites from earlier Maxim books. Adam and his clever guardian angel Claudia, Whistler's father, the Twins, all marvelous new characters. And how delightful to run into some of our old Bannerman friends. Thank you Mr. Maxim for bringing us up to date with some of Bannerman's people. Was happy to hear that Paul and Susan now have a family. What do you Bannerman fans think Lesko had to say about that?? and can't you just picture the twins slipping behind the bar to give Billy a hand? Glad to see the Maxim "family" of characters enlarged. They will all get along just fine. Can't wait to see them in future books. If you have never read a Maxim try Whistler's Angel with acouple of warnings. Don't start it if you have other things you need to be doing because you will not be able to put it down and then be prepared to make several trips to your nearest book store because one Maxim is never enough! You will want to read them all. My only complaint with Mr. Maxim is that he could never write fast enough for me.

The eternal battle of good and evil becomes relative in this extraordinary tale of behind the scenes manipulation. Maxim has outdone himself with eccentric, but believable characters. Aubrey, Poole and their henchmen almost steal the limelight as Maxim lets you enter their twisted minds. You almost feel sorry for them as you delight in Adam's, Harry's and Claudia's triumphs. Nobody writes women better than JRM or has the ability to do the breadth and depth of character development in general. The exchanges between father and son ring true.The building of the relationship between Adam and Claudia is especially well done. Bravo for a novel that is thrilling and at times just plain fun.

For you John R. Maxim fans, he's done it again with Whistler's Angel. Adam Whistler and his guardian angel, Claudia lead the reader through a suspenseful and realistic attempt to leave years of jaded government service with an insurance policy in the form of a damaging ledger purloined from his former boss.Characters return from earlier novels initially giving you the thought that the "old" JRM was back but then revealing a "new" JRM with a cast of background players reflecting a little age, a little mellowness but the same "help out a friend or family" attitude so well done in his Bannerman series. Those readers enamored of Carla Benedict and Molly Farrell from earlier yarns will have a difficult time putting Whistler's Angel down.JRM again brings his characters to Hilton Head, South Carolina where they mix with the local population and cause you to wish you lived down the street or around the corner. The marina, complete with local watering hole called Jump & Phil's and a bartender named Leslie will remind readers of another place and time and cause them to wonder if there really is such a place and person(s) on Hilton Head?The dialog in his latest novel reflects Maxim's tremendous sense of humor and will keep you enthralled from chapter to chapter. His extraordinary narrative skill will cause the fan to go back and read JRM's other offerings and the first time Maxim reader to haunt the bookstores. A great example is his conversation between Whistler's father and Claudia's mother, the single parents of his main characters:"Want to marry me, Kate?" "Ask me again in two years. That's if I haven't murdered you first." "Fair enough." "Will you let me redecorate? Add some tuches of my own?" "Ask me again in two years."I'll have a hard time waiting for the further adventures of Whistler and his Angel.

Once again John Maxim adds an excellent book to the genre. This is not a true Bannerman book ie. the Bannerman crew are peripheral to the story. However, it is a delightfull way to spend a day. Do not begin the book if you have any obligations. As with all the Maxim books, I fell asleep in the early hours of the morning with the book in my hand and took the next morning off to finish the book. The new characters in the book are up to snuff and once you are in for this book, you will be looking forward to finishing off the rest of Maxim's books. Vince Flynn is the only other contemporary writer who can keep up with John Maxim, now that Ludlum is past his prime.

Being a chip off the old block once felt great to Adam Whistler who followed his distinguished father into the eerie world of covert operations. However, Adam no longer has a taste for the work and simply wants to quit. The problem is no one in his line of work just changes professions and lives long enough to earn a different retirement. Adam needs a special kind of life insurance, which he negotiates by robbing damning documents about the activities of his nasty boss, Felix Aubrey. However, in the middle of his protective documents, Adam finds himself holding something more damning and dangerous than just a bit of minor blackmailing fluff he planned to use to keep his own life safe. He turns to his legendary dad who sends him to Claudia Geller for help. Aubrey begins a deadly game to regain the document, leaving Adam and company turning to the great Bannerman and his cohorts as allies in a war between covert professionals. Best selling author John R. Maxim stretches the maximum acceptance levels of a daring plot by his readers and somehow his talent turns it into a fast-paced story line. The plot never slows down as Adam tries to expedite himself from the business only to land deeper inside its darkest cesspool. Felix seems too nasty to be human yet his machinations make the novel spin forward so that the reader does not care. Throw in Bannerman's return even if he is not the star in this action-packed novel, thereby insuring that WHISTLER'S ANGEL is espionage at its thrilling best.Harriet Klausner