Customer Reviews

The Bannerman Solution (Bannerman Novels)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is quite good. Action-packed, interesting characters, and a premise (a town full of semi-retired contract assassins, some of whom are cute little killers), that makes one want to set up a similar neighborhood.

Alas, they're stalked by a half-mad head of a quasi-official (U. S.)government agency who embarks on a lame plan to get them killing each other. It's what they do, right? But unfortunately for the nemesis, they TALK to each other, and their thirst for vengeance is unquenchable as well as mandatory.

Throw in a couple of unlikely love affairs (to the unlikely assassin-retirement-town thing) and you have an unlikely, but fun, semi-long story.

The writing is somewhat stiff in that Maxim makes abundant use of the one-sentence explanatory paragraph at the end of longer explanations. Apparantly he doesn't trust us to understand what he meant in the longer paragraph.

All-in-all though, I'd recommend it with this proviso: that you do not also order THE BANNERMAN EFFECT, which is the sequel to this book. In that one, the first FOURTEEN (sheesh) chapters are devoted to a recap of this, The Bannerman Solution. And if you think you'd just buy the EFFECT to get the recap plus another good story, don't do that either. That story (Effect) never develops. He's just using it to set you up for his next sequel, which might, in fact, be another good one.

It grabbed me after the first few pages, and never let go. By the end of the book I wanted to travel to Westport and try and join Bannerman and his friends. All four books in the series are 10's, and well worth your time and money. An extraordinary thriller, a story about a man coming to grips with settling down while all about him his government wants him and his friends dead. It's just a personal observation, but this is too well written and thought out to be just a work of fiction.. I believe there is more to Mr. Maxim than he lets on.

Quite simply, this is one of the best 'spy novels' in print. Intriguing characters, intelligent plot and fast pace combine to make this a thinking woman's book. I hope the publisher finally decides to 'promote' these books. My old copies are dog-eared from re-reading and lending them to friends. These characters would make a wonderful TV series. Try to find the other books in this series. You won't regret your time or money.

When I ran across THE BANNERMAN SOLUTION a few weeks ago, its premise of a group of government assassins retiring to a small Connecticut town and trying to live in peace sounded rather intriguing. I read the reviews on it and then made the decision to give Mr. Maxim a shot. I'm happy to say that I found myself hooked in the first couple of pages and that the novel proved to be one of the most original and best spy thrillers that I've read during the past year. The story begins by introducing the reader to retired NYPD cop, Raymond Lesko, who's being visited in his dreams by the ghost of his former partner (David Katz). It seems that Katz was ripping off a certain group of drug dealers and was later murdered by them to set an example. Lesko, perhaps the toughest cop on the NYC police force, got revenge by shooting the two men who killed his partner while they were at a meeting with Elena, a beautiful, aristocratic woman who ordered the actual hit on Katz. For some strange reason that Lesko couldn't explain, even to himself, he allowed Elena to live. It wasn't long before rumors started to spread that it was Lesko who took out the two drug dealers and that he allowed Elena to walk away because she bought him off. The rumors eventually forced Lesko to seek an early retirement and to take a job as a security consultant for a local hotel firm. Now, what does all of this have to do with Paul Bannerman and his group of retired government operatives? Well, when Lesko's daughter, Susan, who happens to be a newspaper reporter, decides to investigate the unusually high number of deaths in Westport, Connecticut, she comes to the attention of Bannerman while visiting the town. Since his people are behind most of the deaths that have occurred, he makes it a point to meet Susan in order to find out exactly how much she knows. One thing gradually leads to another, and the two of them begin what will soon become a serious relationship, much to the dismay of Paul's friends. This wouldn't be so bad, except that when Bannerman refuses to work for Palmer Reid, a high-ranking member of the CIA, it's decided that Bannerman and his people are too dangerous to be left alive. Once Reid discovers that Bannerman is involved with Lesko's daughter, he sees a connection that could tie Bannerman to Elena and the South American drug cartel, giving him the excuse needed to take everyone out. Bannerman and his highly skilled team of operatives aren't going to be easy to kill, especially when Lesko joins them in an attempt to keep his daughter alive, but Palmer Reid has the resources of the Agency behind him and is a very determined man. THE BANNERMAN SOLUTION is definitely an original masterpiece in the "spy" genre. Filled with drama, action, and a mixture of humor, it explores an area that has seldom been touched on in fiction. What does happen to government assassins when they reach the retirement age? Does the DIA and the CIA take care of its own, or do they try to eliminate the men and women who have served their country so well? What would happen if a small group of top operatives decided it was time to quit and wanted to live the rest of their lives in relative peace, but our government wouldn't let them? John R. Maxim's novel delves into these areas and what it would be like for these bringers of death to try and settle down into a normal life. I found the novel to not only be suspenseful, packed with a tremendous amount of action, and fun to read, but also fascinating in its concept. Bannerman, as well as each of his team members, were carefully drawn with their own unique personality and area of expertise. These characters are killers, and they came alive for me in ways I'd never have expected. I have to add that Raymond Lesko, while only a retired cop, proved to be a match for Bannerman and quickly earned his respect. The bad guys are also interesting, especially some of the agents working under Reid who actually feel a sense of hero worship for Bannerman and his crew because they are legends in the intelligence community. Mr. Maxim has a profound way of weaving complex scenarios and then tying up each one neatly by the end of the book, leaving the reader feeling satisfied with the final solutions, and I should also point out the his style of writing is a pure pleasure to read, adding to the enjoyment of the novel. I liked THE BANNERMAN SOLUTION so much, that I've already purchased the other three novels in the series. For fans of the "spy" genre, this is a must-read book!!! Buy it, savor the reading experience, then rush out and buy the other "Bannerman" novels.

John R. Maxim is an incredible story teller and The Bannerman Solution is the first of a series of 4 "Bannerman" novels that are fantastic and highly recommended ! I just discovered John maxim's work a month ago and have already began my search to acquire all of Maxim novels (I haven't been disappointed with any of his work)...run to your local bookstore now !

"The Bannerman Solution"(heretofor refered to as TBS)by John R. Maxim is an extraordinary thriller for the internantional espionage junkie like myself. Let me just start out by saying that James Bond 007 had better watch out for the likes of Paul Bannerman, the main character in the book. In TBS, Bannerman the leader of a group of retired government contract agents struggles to keep his group from being terminated by the government while trying to keep their identities secret in the little Connecticut town they have settled in while falling in love all at the same time.

Maxim's development of the story and the characters is excellent. The reader really gets involved right from the beginning, and the action and suspense keeps the pages turning. If you really like spy thrillers this is the book you should try to find(its hard since it is out of print).

This book took off at a run and never slowed down. Imagine a sort of halfway house for "good" assains in Westport CT. Throw in unaccountable government. Decisions made on faulty information, romance,murder,tricks,twists and a bit of a ghost story about sums up this book. This one hooked me. Now I have read them all and they only get better. WOW Maxim Rocks

"The Bannerman Solution" is an awesome novel that is truly a "page turner."

A group of former contract agents (assassins, interrogation specialists, electronics specialists, etc.) decide to retire in an affluent town in Connecticut, but agents in the government have other plans. Paul Bannerman is the de facto leader of this group of people, and he ensures that they stay one step ahead of their nemesis, the seriously paranoid Palmer Reid.

In this book, Paul falls in love with reporter Susan Lesko, the daughter of a former NYPD policeman, Raymond Lesko. Palmer Reid's suspicious and paranoid mind makes connections between Raymond, Paul, Susan, and a former Cocaine Queen that do not exist, and he begins to hatch a plan to hasten their demise.

John R. Maxim does a terrific job of developing his characters. Paul and his crew are described in detail, and by describing how they interact with each other, Maxim helps the reader gain insight to their personalities - quirky or otherwise. Susan and her father Raymond are likeable - Ray's "dream sequences" are funny, yet haunting. Palmer Reid and his cronies are easy to dislike, and Palmer's paranoia borders on comedy.

Great characters, exotic locales, and lots of action make this book a winner. I could not put the book down, and read it into the wee hours of the night.

I love this book. I picked it up to read on a flight, thank goodness the weather at my destination was bad, because I did not want to put this book down. The pace was amazing, but not confusing and the characters were tremendous. The heroes were terrific and the villians were eminantly hateable. The ability of Maxim to break up a dark moment with one line of levity, usually from Billy McHugh, has made me an addict to his work. Since reading Solution, I have gone on to read everything else in the Bannerman Saga and have just ordered his newest, Whistler's Angel.

This was a very original story line by John Maxim. Westport, Conneticut serves as a retirement community for contract killers. In Westport they live normal lives. The head of a secret intelligence organization makes many attempts to destroy this retirement group.This is where the action picks up. The scenes of action start moving at a rapid rate. Our hero,Paul Bannerman goes on vacation with his new girlfriend where an attempt is made on her life. The girlfriend's father Raymond Lesko adds to the character of the book.Some of the villains featured in the book also make it a good read. This book features nonstop action. It is truly hard to put down. Read it. You will be excited with thw writing of John Maxim. I am glad that I finally discovered him.