Book Review: Max Unlocks the Universe

Reviewed By: Pat Reid - RAM

Max Unlocks the Universe     Amazon US HC Amazon Canada HC
Mark Bouton
Class/Genre:   Mystery   Private Investigator   Dogs
Series: Max Austin # 2
Five Star Publishing, 2006, 239 pps.

The snow is blowing in Kansas and Max is called out by Detective Jeff Bagley. Max is a PI and ex-FBI. He doesn’t feel he can plead bad weather and ask Bagley to wait until later since Bagley at one time saved Max’s life.

When Max gets to the crime scene he finds that Kyle Mossler has been killed. Kyle is one of six in a company called Securegard. The company sells security programs to commercial and government groups. Bagley’s son David is accused of the killing.

Max takes on the case and finds that the death is by curare. Curare is known as “the flying death” and the poison must be injected to work but no syringe or dart is found at the scene.

The six partners were together for an important meeting and all have scattered and returned to their homes in various parts of the country. He is able to interview two of the partners but two of the others die in mysterious ways. Max sets out to learn the cause of death. He is trying to locate Will, one of the partners, who seems to have disappeared. Max enlists Marisol, head of computer fraud at the FBI and an old girl friend to help him with the computer questions and check out some people for him.

Max feels he is being tracked and is not too far from wrong. The end is surprising and frightening.

Pat Reid - RAM

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