Mark Bouton Max Unlocks the Universe

Max Unlocks the Universe

Mark Bouton

Five Star, Sep 2006, $25.95

ISBN: 1594144885

In a snow storm in the Midwest, Carl and Bones wait for the target to emerge from a house. When "Blue Jacket" does, Bones fires a dart that hits the victim in the neck. The young man collapses instantly as the two hit men drive away.

Local Detective Bagley asks friend former FBI Agent turned private sleuth Max Austin to investigate the homicide of Kyle Mossler as his son David is the prime suspect having been the last person with the deceased. Max learns that David, Kyle and four other people work at Securegard, a computer security firm, and the coroner reported that the cause of death was curare poisoning. When two Securegard people die, one in Denver and the other in San Francisco, Max knows he needs help especially with the computer aspects of the case. He asks his former girlfriend Marisol Vegas to help him uncover the underlying reason why someone is killing the Securegard team.

This is an entertaining private investigative tale in which the hero cannot find a lucid motive to what appears to be three killings though the one in San Francisco is officially considered a car accident. The story line is filled with unusual twists starting with the audience knowing the identities of the two hitmen. Max is the center of the universe as struggles to unlock the mystery. Readers will appreciate his efforts to solve the case and keep the remaining trio alive even as every clue complicates his inquiry and confuses Max.

Harriet Klausner