Book Review: Max Conquers the Cosmos

Reviewed By: Cheryl - RAM

Max Conquers the Cosmos     Amazon US TPB Amazon US HC Amazon Canada TPB Amazon Canada HC
Mark Bouton
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Private Investigator   Dogs
Series: Max Austin # 1

Max Austin view of his world is inspired by his hobby, astronomy. He likes to search the cosmos for truth, although he suspects he may never find it. Max's life has two centres - his home, empty since his wife's death, except for his dog, and his job as a private investigator, taken up after he retired from the FBI. His work gives him pieces of the cosmos to explore for the truth.

The novel begins with an examination of wealthy developer Morrie Jacobsen's dead body, found in his luxurious home. His widow, Vickie, claims an intruder murdered her husband, and her lawyer hires Max to investigate the death as the police may not be satisfied with Vickie's statement. Finding the truth about Morrie's death takes a lot of patient detective work, and brings Max to the attention of some extremely dangerous people.

'Max Conquers the Cosmos' is an excellent example of the traditional detective novel. The plot is uncovered piece by piece, like a jigsaw puzzle, and is complicated enough to be interesting without becoming too implausible. The sudden twist at the end seems a bit sudden - but actually follows quite reasonably from the rest of the story. At first, I found the frequent astronomical comparisons a little off -putting and distracting, but they rapidly became part of the character and the story. I recommend this book to anyone who wants an entertaining detective story to read.

Cheryl - RAM

Reprinted with permission. Do Not repost without permission from the author, Cheryl - RAM