Customer Reviews

Abel Baker Charley

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The cover of the original paperback (published in 1983) asks the question, "who is Able Baker Charley and why should we fear him/it?" Well put. Jared Baker is an average guy until his wife is killed. He loses control and is himself arrested and becomes a fugitive. Shadowy behaviorist Marcus Sonnenberg "rescues" Baker and makes him a subject of study. But Baker wants none of it. He just wants to be re-united with his daughter and get on with his life. Not so simple in the hands of John Maxim. The characters are well developed and for the most part quite sympathetic. Imagine a government agent that is actually likeable. Learning who/what is Abel Baker Charley takes the reader into the life of Tanner Burke, a budding film star; Connor Harrigan, a government operative out to find Baker and then to protect him, and several others representing various shades of evil (or good). The government wants Baker to study him, to get at Sonnenberg's other subjects, and to settle a score between the bad guy Peck and Sonnenberg. In the ensuing shoot-outs, and with Maxim's usual healthy body count, the reader learns about Abel and Charley and how they relate to Baker as well as Burke and his daughter. This is Maxim on two levels: the mind games not unlike Platforms (one of his best novels) and the Bannerman series with all the thrills that he produces so well. I had to knock off one star because of a monologue of Sonnenberg's that went on too long and the final shoot out that got overly confusing. At the same time each of these helped to define the characters, both the good guys and the bad. You'll be pulling for Baker - whoever he may be - all the way through a quick read. A must have for Maxim fans.

This book is a rare JEM. From beginning to end you are totally engrosed by action and suspense. The main Character(s) Baker is one that is likable from the start. My uncle gave this book to me and said this is a MUST read. He was right. This book is like a hit song, one hook after another. Just when you think you've figured out what is happening, BOOM, you're totally floored by the unexpected. The story of multiple personalites has been done many times, but never wrapped around an adventure like this. Baker is not unlike all of us. He's just been able to separate emmotions into separate people. If it's possible, find this book. You won't regret your effort

I can't say this any plainer: I wish John R. Maxim had written more books. At this stage of his writing career, he's a bit getting on in years (he's 70). Hopefully, he's got a lot more novels in him. I've very much enjoyed his 5 Paul Bannerman novels (and have been awaiting his proposed new novel THE BANNERMAN PROPHECY for ages now), but I'll tell you what: ABEL BAKER CHARLEY, which came out in 1983 and was Maxim's second novel, is readily one of the best action thrillers I've ever read, and, in fact, it's on my list of all-time favorites in the genre. Every couple of years, I'll dust it off and re-immerse myself in Jared Baker's harried world of dark alter egos, paranoid intrigue, and blazing bullets. And an axe. I remember a war axe.

Jared Baker was living a life in suburban bliss until the tragic accident that killed his wife and hospitalized his young daughter. Then something happened to him. Baker snapped. Now his body hosts three very different personalities: his regular self; an intuitive but disgusting mass of flab called Charley; and the amoral, violently primal Abel. Now, too, the law wants Baker for murder. The revenge-minded mob is gunning for him. The CIA is persistently keeping tabs on him. But his most inimical foe may be Marcus Sonnenberg, the deranged and secretive behavioral scientist and master manipulator. And, all the while, Baker desperately struggles to keep the two entities inside him at bay. But at least he's not alone...

ABEL BAKER CHARLEY is one intense and riproaring psychological thriller, full of twisty turns, big reveals, and explosive action. Maxim has a knack for rapidly involving his reader and keeping the pages turned at a frenzied pace. I've read this one over and over, and, honestly, few other novels have lived up to ABEL BAKER CHARLEY'S sense of gripping urban adventure and psychological suspense. The manner in which Baker, time and again, eluded his would-be captors and then exacted violent vengeance had me silently cheering as I read on, from the taut opening scenes in New York's Central Park to the electrifying finale, when all the various forces involved converged in one hell of a museum shootout. All the characters, but one, are complex and diverting. Only the skier/actress Tanner Burke seems to be one note and comes off as a mere token love interest. And even she has her moments. The world weary Connor Harrigan is brilliant.

The author writes Baker as a tortured and vulnerable man, a bloke caught up in the most unusual of circumstances and forced to go on the run. Without Abel and Charley, I might've found Jared Baker too normal and, therefore, too dull a character. As it is, there's a delicious, boyish thrill in being privy to Baker's secret abilities, which he very reluctantly unleashes on the persistent plague of serpentine spymasters, daunting assassins, thugs, and gangsters arrayed against him. With this book, the reader can revel in wish fulfillment. Really, who wouldn't want Charley's supernormal talents? And who doesn't wish for a beastie to summon so that you can taunt your tormentors with a phrase like "Come and get it, pig." When the implacable, demonical Abel goes into whirlwind action, as deprived of a conscience as he is, you can't help but root for him.

Have you ever wanted to just become someone else? Ever had the feeling that you were meant to do something else with your life? Ever been bullied, and wished that just once you could fight back? If any of these themes grab you, then you need to get Able, Baker, Charley by John Maxim. This is one of those rare reads that just keeps getting better chapter by chapter. I noted that this excellent book has recently been re-released too, so should not be hard to find. I have reread this book a half dozen times, and will probably continue to do so until Mr. Maxim DOES A SEQUEL.

I have never missed a chance to read a "Maxim" book and Able Baker Charley does not disappoint. As with all Maxim books the unique plots and marvelous characters not only entertain and fascinate the author has made them so just plain likable that I find myself turning pages as quickly as possible to continue the adventure! ABC can take its place along side the rest of Maxim books as a "can't put down". If you have never read a Maxim grab one fast. The good news is that you are going to really love these books. If you have something else you need to be doing the bad news is you are going to really love these books!

In this novel Maxim operates on the assumption that since the human brain is compartmentalized, each individual can become several personas sharing the same body. Therefore each is a totally separate individual. This is different than a split personality in which each personality is really a part of the total person.

The other assumption is that genes can inherit memories from ancestors and thus if someone in an individual's past was a concert pianist, the memory is there in the individual's genes. Thus that individual can become a concert pianist.

A doctor who specializes in creating new personalities for people, takes advantage of this theory and is able to transform individuals into totally new individuals.

These theories are very interesting and are the only thing that keeps this book together. The book itself is a mismosh of activities and events. The author's descriptions often lack clarity where it is very difficult to picture what is happening and it is very difficult to follow the supporting characters. Some seem to appear out of the blue and it seems that the author assumes you know something about them.

A lot of what happens is implausible and some of the ideas seem to be copied from the old tv series The Incredible Hulk. (meek David Banner would turn into a super strong monster when he was enraged).

Maxim wrote a much better book dealing with the mind called "Time Out of Mind."

Maybe its just me, but I just could not buy into the premise of this one. There were times I literally laughed out loud, and not because of a humorous passage, but that the scenario teetered on the brink of the ridiculous. I read MOSAIC and thought that was pretty good, but ABEL BAKER CHARLEY just didn't do it for me. I'm no stranger to psychological thrillers, and I can accept some pretty bizarre premises, but I think Mr. Maxim...I don't know what he was thinking with this. I have never felt so, well, insulted after finishing a book. I only give it a star because Maxim is not some hack and at least some effort was put into the building of suspense. I stuck with it in the hopes that I would have some moment of understanding, or at least acceptance, at the end, but I was sadly disappointed. If you are a Maxim fan, do yourself a favor and pass on this one.