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The Shadow Box [Hardcover]

John R. Maxim (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)


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Book Description

August 1996
The author of the popular Bannerman series of espionage novels presents a sophisticated, suspenseful thriller about a Wall Street banker whose life comes crashing down when a mysterious conspiracy decides to exploit a secret from his past. 50,000 first printing.

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Manhattan investment banker Mike Fallon is having a bad time in the big city: First his Uncle Jake is beaten to death, next his lover is killed during a holdup, and finally Fallon himself gets fired and is almost pushed in front of a subway train by muggers. Things in Martha's Vineyard, where he flees, aren't much better -- because those events weren't random occurences at all but rather ghosts from Fallon's tangled past catching up with him. Maxim makes a smooth segue from his own past as a writer of spy stories like "Bannerman's Law" in a book that will keep you gripped and guessing.

From Publishers Weekly

Maxim's crackjack thriller inaugurates not only Avon's new hardcover line but also a fresh direction for the author, who here abandons his usual spy-vs.-spy milieu (Bannerman's Law, etc.) to highlight the terrifying dimensions of the manufacture and international trade in counterfeit prescription drugs. The hook is classic: a man watches his life stolen from him as he learns that everything he once assumed true is false. The set-upon hero is Manhattan investment banker Mike Fallon, whose Uncle Jake?not quite a gangster, not quite a saint?is beaten to death with a baseball bat. Then Mike's fiancee is killed in a convenience store holdup; and he is fired from his job. Mike begins to feel that New York is out to get him, especially after he's nearly pushed in front of a subway car and then is assaulted by a pair of muggers. Close to panic, he flees to Martha's Vineyard, where he attempts to begin a new life and is drawn to Megan Cole, a psychic with a troubled past. But those New York attacks weren't random; behind them looms a shadow out of the Fallon past, a man who is tied to both Mike's dead father and to the murdered Jake. When one of the muggers turns out to be connected to Mike's old employer, Mike's lawyer joins up with Jake's former bodyguard and his underworld associates to try to uncover the truth. It's a complicated storyline that Maxim plays out with skill, boosting the narration with fluid writing and well-drawn characters. He also reveals enough frightening details about the drug business to scare readers off prescriptions for the rest of their lives. 50,000 first printing; major ad/promo.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 380 pages
  • Publisher: Avon Books (T); 1st edition (August 1996)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0380973006
  • ISBN-13: 978-0380973002
  • Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,936,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

John R. Maxim was born in Greenwich Village, NYC, educated at NY Jesuit Schools (Xavier and Fordham) played all the street sports and most team sports.
Comes from a family of cops and a few Feds. After school, took up flying, skydiving and dirt-track stock car racing until the Military decided it could do without him. Then went into marketing and advertising. Several awards. Rose to Senior VP at major New York Advertising agencies. Work involved a great deal of international travel. Major hobby back then was sailing.
Always wanted to write, however, and, one night on the bar car, decided to give it a year, succeed or fail. Sold first novel at age 41. Wrote 12 more plus one non-fiction, averaging a year and a half each. Translated into ten languages. Several were optioned for film or TV. Still waiting.
Took up skiing. Many trips to Switzerland and Colorado. With the kids gone, sold our Connecticut house and moved to Hilton Head Island with his beautiful wife, Christine, herself a champion sailor.

 

Customer Reviews

20 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.0 out of 5 stars (20 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not His Best, But Still Better Than Average, July 24, 2000
By 
Jocelyn L. Smith "jessiegrrl" (Johnson City, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
This review is from: The Shadow Box (Paperback)
As someone who has read and enjoyed "Mosaic" and "Time Out of Mind", I delved into "Shadow Box" with great anticipation. Alas for my expectations! Maxim seems to have been having a difficult time writing this novel. Most jarring of all are the "jumping tenses," by which I mean literally within the same sentence the verbs will change from present to past to future tense. Maybe this is some literary tool that's supposed to make the tale more suspenseful; I found it annoying. Also, some of the plot devices has the hero seemingly unusually thick-headed (I'm thinking, 'for Pete's sake, man, it's called a contact lense!') just so his heroine can be brilliant and explain the whole thing to him later.

That being said, the relationships between the characters are extremely convincing and well-developed, the motivations behind the bad guys' actions are mysterious and revealed masterfully, and I also especially enjoyed the character of Moon (he should have his own book!). Maxim's worst is still better than the majority of books written in his chosen genre.

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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Gripping, suspenseful and entertaining, July 12, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Shadow Box (Paperback)
I would strongly recommend this book to fans of suspense fiction. It is compelling, dramatic and features some very interesting character, including one of the best, most loathsome villains I've encountered in a while. I will definitely be on the lookout for more Maxim books after this one!
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15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This is how Maxim reacts to those who dont like his books:, March 15, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Shadow Box (Paperback)
"John R. Maxim" wrote:

I know I shouldn't bother, but I'm having a slow day. So, let's see. What can I deduce about you?

You're mean-spirited dick head. That much is clear. You're negative, opinionated, self-important, a boor and probably a coward. Therefore, you're certainly unpopular, ridiculed by those who know you, and your sex life must be almost non-existant. You live a life that's devoid of grace, good manners, or any worthwhile accomplishment. The latter would explain why you feel the need to tear down what everyone else has praised.

How am I doing? No, don't tell me. If I see a reply, I'll delete it unread. I'd be willing to bet that almost everyone who knows you wishes that they had a button they could press that would make you shut up and go away.

JRM

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First Sentence:
The killing was to be done just so. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
boat girl, bald one
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Uncle Jake, New York, Fat Julie, Jake Fallon, Taylor House, Brendan Doyle, Bart Hobbs, Michael Fallon, Julie Giordano, Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard, Wall Street, Palm Beach, Arnie Aaronson, Lena Mayfield, Notre Dame, Franz Rast, Mohammed Yahya, Megan Cole, Millie Jacobs, Armin Rasmussen, Colt Python, Mary Beth, Mount Sinai, New Jersey
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