Customer Reviews

Bannerman's Ghosts

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Hey, if you're going to steal, at least steal from the old masters...they're not around to complain. That opening does, however, demand a list, so here it is:

(1) The characters - John R. Maxim's characters are as real as any in popular fiction. You finish one of his books with the feeling that you really know these people, or at least would like to know them. (I personally would love to meet 'Uncle' Billy McHugh, the man formerly known as Bannerman's Monster who has now evolved into a personable, chatty bartender who just happens to be capable of incredible mayhem!) In this book Maxim brings together his popular Bannerman people, adds in the cast of his book 'Haven,' and then seasons it with the main characters from 'Whistler's Angel.' It's like going to a great reunion, meeting up with people you really liked and catching up with their lives and activities. The updates on the lives of Bannerman's people (including homes, businesses, hobbies, spouses and children) are worth the price of the book by themselves!

(2) The plot - Maxim's books in general, and his Bannermans in particular, feature enough twists and changes of direction to hold your complete attention without lapsing into 'complication for its own sake.' He also frequently has a theme for a book. In 'The Shadowbox' it was counterfeit pharmaceuticals, and the eerily prescient 'Haven' (in 1997) presented a plot where Islamic terrorists tried to mount an attack on American soil with a dirty bomb. His plot here involves bio-terrorism in a way that can make you lose sleep. As usual, Maxim presents enough realistic detail that you know he did his homework long before he started writing.

(3) The timeline - While Maxim has introduced characters from one book into another previously, here he's even dovetailing his plots. We last saw Elizabeth Stride (from 'Haven') settling into a peaceful life on Hilton Head Island. 'Whistler's Angel' came to its dramatic (and noisy and smoky) conclusion on Hilton Head Island. So how could a pro like Stride have missed such brouhaha so close to home? She couldn't. The main portion of the 'Bannerman's Ghosts' story picks up literally on the day 'Whistler's Angel' ends!

(4) The humor - For a serious book with a serious plot about very serious people, Maxim sprinkles in a healthy dose of laughs along the way. It's impossible to quote anything here, since establishing a context would take way too long. Trust me on this: you'll have a lot of fun reading this book.

This list could go on and on, but here's the bottom line: 'Bannerman's Ghosts' is great reading.

My only complaint about this book is that I had to wait too long for it to come out. Now I find out that the new book, The Bannerman's Prophecy won't be out for another eight or more months.

John R. Maxim is the world's greatest storyteller. I consider this book to be one of his best. He is an expert in weaving the background history of his characters into the new story. For the first time reader of Maxim's books they shouldn't have any difficulty to figure out who Bannerman and his "ghosts" are.

I had a difficult time putting it down once I started reading it the first time. The story made me laugh and cry all though the book. The characters seem so real, I can almost imagine what Bannerman, Carla and of course Waldo might look like. I'm not sure I would want to know if they were one of my neighbors.

I highly recommend this book for anyone's library. I have reread all of Maxim's books that I have several times.

It feels like forever between one Bannerman book and the next, but they're well worth the wait! Once again, John Maxim has done a superb job of bringing these characters to life in Bannerman's Ghosts. It kept me turning the pages to see what would happen next! The subject (bio terrorism) is timely -- and scarey -- but leaves the reader with a sense of hope for tomorrow. Mr. Maxim never disappoints!

I have been waiting for this new addition to the "Bannerman" series and was not disappointed. I could not put this one down till I had read it cover to cover. Being a patrol officer, I appreciate the realistic avenues this book travels and the sense of humor which matches those of us in law enforcement. I was on the edge of my seat.

This is a highly recommended novel that I found hard to put down - definitely a page turner! As in Maxim's other novels, events of today's culture are taken and woven into a excellent believable story. If the facts of this story can be taken at all as creditable, the bad guys don't even have to spread their virus' in the U.S.: assuming the incubation period prior to showing symptoms of these virus' is 3 to 5 days, a valid sceneario could consider infecting people (even without their knowledge) in another country then using scheduled airline flights move these infected carriers into population centers such as London, Paris, Geneva, New York, San Francisco, Tokoyo, or where ever international flights land. The other side of the world is ONLY 23 hours away by air travel! Scary Huh!! All of Maxim's books are worthy of being read and enjoyed!

I enjoyed "Bannerman's Ghost" as I have enjoyed all of Maxim's books, but I gave it only 4 stars because I found it hard to reconcile Martin Kessler's death with his resurection in this book. I know that we never "saw" the body in "Haven," but Kessler was exposed for a prolonged period to deadly radiation. His prospects did not look good.
Putting that aside, and accepting that he did survive, I thoroughly enjoyed the story.
My only real complaint is this: at the time of this writing it has been nearly two years since "Bannerman's Ghost" was released. John Maxim, I am anxiously waiting for your next book.

Awesome - I am so glad to have Bannerman back. I can't wait for the next one. If you are a Bannerman fan, they are all here - Carla, Molly, the twins, Susan, it's great.

The central conceit of recent films like True Lies and Spy Kids has been seeming mundane husbands, wives, and
parents who turn out to be top secret agents. John Maxim goes them one better and imagines that much of
Westport, Connecticut is peopled by semi-retired agents, loosely led by Paul Bannerman, who have all gotten out of
the game (almost) and are trying to settle down to stable marriages, child-rearing, running small shops, and an
especially adept neighborhood watch program.

In this entry in the successful series, Bannerman has to set his travel agency business to one side just long enough to
deal with Artemus Bourne, a megalomaniacal villain (is there any other kind) who's threatening Westport with a
bioterror attack because he wants help finding famed assassin Elizabeth Stride, the Black Angel, a former colleague of Bannerman, whose
supposedly-dead ex-boyfriend, an East German named Martin Kessler, has interfered in his African diamond and arms smuggling business. The
interference in this case takes the form of sending Bourne the heads of three evil minions. Bannerman's "Ghosts", so called because they've
disappeared from the world of black-ops, are galvanized into reasonably exciting action amidst presumably tongue-in-cheek worries about their
domestic situations. Mr. Maxim utilizes just enough realistic background setting--like the genuine threat of Marburg virus--to give the story
weight, but a light enough touch to keep it amusing, rather than melodramatic.

Fans will be gratified that he brings together characters from a host of his prior books, while newcomers will have no trouble catching up. It's brisk
entartainment with just a hint of satire, or so one assumes.

...Grade: (B)

I picked up a copy Bannerman's Ghost in an airport bookstore when faced with an unexpected flight delay. I had previously read Maxim's Whistler's Angel and had wanted to go back to read the Bannerman series. With the early books not available at the moment, I decided to start at the end of the series with Bannerman's Ghosts. Although I suspect that the book would have been better if I was more familiar with some of the characters that clearly had been part of Maxim's previous works, Bannerman's Ghosts was still a great story - fully capable to standing on its own. Maxim spins an intriguing story, effectively bouncing back between the present and the past while building to an exciting climax. This is a fast read that will not disappoint. I will now absolutely need to go back to start at the beginning of the Bannerman series and move forward.

Bannerman has returned to the scene to battle a new villain.He is still located in the state of Conneticutt with his band of
professional killers who have settled down to become ordinary citizens. The villain in this story is named Artemus Bourne.He
is immensely wealthy and involved in plots and schemes all over the world. Martin Kessler makes his return.He ships the heads of three of Bourne's associates who are involved in bio weapons.The
villain wants to locate Elizabeth Stride as a means of bringing
Martin Kessler out in the open.He threatewns the town of Bridge-
port Conneticutt with attack by chemical weapons.Bannerman will
prove to be a worthy enemy for Bourne.This will keep you on the edge of your seat to see who wins. An action packed book that
you will enjoy.