110 of 120 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Entertaining and Intelligent Story., October 12, 2010
This review is from: When the Devil Whistles (Paperback)
Allie Whitman had made a very comfortable living as a professional whistleblower. She and her lawyer, Connor Norman had partnered with California's Deputy Attorney General on numerous cases recovering millions of tax payer's dollars from corrupt companies. However, her latest job turns into a nightmare, when rather than finding dirt on the company she finds her secrets exposed and knowledge of a deadly plot that could cost millions their lives.
Meanwhile, the crew of the Grasp II believed they were looking for a sunken German submarine loaded with riches. Upon reaching the excavation site though, they realize the story about the German sub was nothing more than a cover. Far from their home port of Oakland and with their lives in danger, the crew was powerless to summon help or warn authorities of the impending disaster. In an intricate and intelligent story, When the Devil Whistles combines a legal drama, with an entertaining story line, a bit of romance, and an international terrorist plot to create an interesting, page turning novel.
It's been a couple of years since Rick Acker's had a novel published and I've missed his work. I enjoyed the style and approach of his previous two books and was thrilled to discover he had a new one coming out. The wait was well rewarded. When The Devil Whistles more than met my expectations, with a plot that was a challenge to unravel, fun to read and just as intriguing as the title.
I love intelligent books, with plots that are obviously well thought out and time spent researching and developing them. This book has an intricate, but cohesive plot. It didn't take long to be completely engulfed in the various story lines that were obviously going to be related, but whose relationships were well hidden. It was a good balance of revealing enough detail to keep the reader going, but not so much as to spoil the plot.
As with Acker's previous books, this one also contains a nice line up of characters. I found myself pulling for ones I certainly didn't expect to. The only weakness was Allie. She was a flawed character, which I love in fiction, but a bit too flawed without enough polish to make her someone I could easily pull for. However, the remaining characters more than made up for her weaknesses. Acker's managed to pull off a remarkable job with Connor, making him someone that could be related to even though he is likely in a different social demographic than most readers.
At the center of this story is the wonderful theme of choices. A great job was done of putting characters in tough situations and allowing them to make the right or wrong choice. This aspect of the book was executed with a grace and fluidity that kept the story moving while at the same time portrayed the difficulty of making the right choice, especially when it's hard.
There are some moments that required a healthy suspension of disbelief, but those scenes were fun to read and added a nice amount of thrill to the story. Though I'm not sure everyone would agree with me, parts of the middle were a bit slow as the romantic angle was developed. However, most will likely find these portions quite charming rather than slow.
It's good to have another book by Rick Acker. I've enjoyed each of his novels and this one was no exception. As expected, it had a nice tight, well executed plot that kept me guessing and reading. From the intriguing title to the closing pages, I enjoyed When The Devil Whistles and look forward to his next book. Hopefully it will not be such a long wait.
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40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting and suspenseful, November 18, 2010
This review is from: When the Devil Whistles (Paperback)
---Book Description---
Allie Whitman, a temp-for-hire accountant and professional whistleblower, excels at finding and exposing corporations that over-charge on government contracts. Her lawyer and friend, Connor Norman, keeps her identity a secret while helping her rake in the money that finances Allie's opulent lifestyle.
But when she goes to work at a new corporation, the tables are suddenly turned. The corporation figures out that she's the whistleblower behind Devil to Pay. They threaten to expose her to all those corporations that hate her unless she takes down their competition--and that may mean planting false evidence. Then Allie's live-in rock-star boyfriend sells drugs to a teen at a concert, the teen dies, and Allie's worried she'll go to jail, too, if she turns her boyfriend in.
Allie's afraid to ask Connor for help since he glories in making criminals pay for their crimes. Does that mean her, too? There seems to be only one option that will keep her safe, but there's more at risk than even Allie knows.
---My Review---
"When the Devil Whistles" is a legal thriller that also works in some military suspense. It's fast-paced and keeps the reader guessing as to how everything will work out. The suspense was created by possible physical danger to the various characters as well as curiosity about the various decisions they will make and how it will all play out. The characters were complex and dealt with realistic problems (though--specifically--not ones most people face). The vivid details of the job and setting brought the story alive in my imagination.
For those who care, Allie sometimes drank to excess and lived with her boyfriend. (It's implied they have sex.) She knew he used meth and he knew she disapproved, but she didn't take a strong stand on it until worried for her own neck. But she found some healing and made some hard choices after seeing where the easy ones got her, and I liked who she was by the end.
There was no bad language. Overall, I'd recommend this suspenseful and intriguing novel.
I received this book as a review copy from the publisher.
Reviewed by Debbie from Genre Reviews
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79 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Passable But Not Great, January 6, 2011
A well-paced novel, but the dialogue's a little stiff. The fascinating look inside whistleblower laws kept me engaged for a while. A lot of the plot contrivances are just ridiculous (her boyfriend isn't just a slacker, but a meth dealer? the protagonist owns a restored, operational WW2 fighter jet?). And learning at the end that it's one of those thriller novels with a religious subtext put me off.
I'd give it a lower rating if I hadn't got it for free.
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