Customer Reviews

When the Devil Whistles

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

---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

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.

I downloaded this Kindle book for free. I've read countless thriller books and this one was just OK. The book started out quite slow and was not too engaging. Overall, the plot turned out quite interesting enough. For all the readers out there, please note that this is a Christian thriller book. Religion was not mentioned too frequently to irritate those who may not want to read about it (or too little for others who may want it). There is nothing wrong with a book that wants to promote Christian values but I would have preferred to know its true message beforehand. Luckily, it's free!

Who better to write a conspiracy theory novel about the Department of Justice than a Californian Department of Justice employee? In Rick Acker's When the Devil Whistles, a novel about high dollar fraud, an emotionally damaged whistle blower and her handsome lawyer unite to fight white-collar crime. In one scene after another, Mr. Acker provides the reader with a glimpse into this hidden world of fraud. Add in a scandalous secret and a few power-hungry militants and you've got the making of a high-drama, page-turning tale.

When the Devil Whistles is written from multiple points of view, but the character I most empathized with was whistle blower Allie. Buried in emotional baggage resulting from the death of her father and the secrecy surrounding it, she vacillates between ethical living and self-protection. She lives with her methamphetamine addicted boyfriend but her heart belongs to her very honest and morally upright lawyer. And he is equally smitten with her--or the nice little schoolgirl image she portrays, anyway. Only neither one of them will admit their true feelings. Instead, they hide behind professional business calls, minus the occasional imitation date, living out their fantasies in their heads. But when Allie's seemingly picture perfect life spirals out of control, she abandons the good-girl image in favor of self-protection, dragging her lawyer through the mud right along with her.

Throughout the story, Mr. Acker did a great job of drawing the reader in and despite his somewhat large cast of characters, each individual presented had unique dialog, mannerisms, and personality traits. I would have liked to dive into their heads a little deeper, and earlier on, but despite my personal desires, the reader learned a bit more about each character as the story progressed. And I suppose this was the most life-like way to reveal them because in real life it often takes a fair amount of time to really learn someone's inner fears and motivations. There were also instances when I found the writing itself to be redundant and choppy. Occasionally, the same information was given multiple times in various ways and often information was provided that was not necessary. For example, near the end of the story Mr. Acker alerted the reader to someone's body odor. We were told initially that this individual had a rather offensive stench. We were then told how another character knew of his stench, that the character could be located by scent alone, and how closely this related to echolocation. For me, any one of those would have been sufficient without the expanded information.

Overall, this was a pleasant, clean, and intriguing novel. If you like to learn while you read, you will find this novel very fulfilling. Additional information and explanations are provided at the back of the book, adding richness to the story. And the characters, although not as deeply developed as I would have liked, do undergo change, both emotionally and spiritually.

I enjoyed the book (and I'm super-picky).

What it really means when it says "Christian" is - won't include curse words, will mention God exists, and will treat torture scenes with kid-gloves. Beyond that, this ain't gonna be your Janette Oke-esque cozy country romance or even a Dee Henderson type formula romance done right. Still, despite relatively flat characters and semi-confusing flipping between pov's, the book moves along at a nice clip and makes you want to know what happens next... even if you can guess and then want to giggle at how ridiculous the plot turns out to be.

I wouldn't say it's the most sophisticated book I've ever read, but I like that it can't be shoved into the Christian romance formula (guy meets girl, guy protects girl, guy gets girl - one or both get God along the way.)

Good:
- The author's right, whistleblowing as a career is a well kept secret. I found the legal parts of this book downright fascinating.
- Allie does enough suitably stupid/ selfish things to make you want to shake her and wonder how she's going to dig herself out of the hole.
- Conner's what any woman could want in a white knight: rich, handsome, single, smart.

Neutral:
- The dialogue didn't impress or annoy me. I think part could have been much more realistic. I mean the military bad guys started speaking English almost perfectly then it got more broken as the book went on.
- suspension of disbelief needs to stretch a whole lot to buy the "explosive" end game and "happily ever after" sort of end.

Nit picks:
- It would be nicer if the character's faith were more central to the plot. It seemed more like the "check here if you go to church" sort of faith. On the other hand, if you dislike books that tend to shove Christianity in your face, then this book should be fine for you. It barely mentions God.
- The spy portions of the book were weakly plotted compared to the legal parts - that might be just because the legal parts seemed so well done.

WHEN THE DEVIL WHISTLES, by Rick Acker, is a great legal thriller rooted and realism and carried by interesting characters and fascinating twists and turns.

Connor Norman is the rich son of an ex-Senator and a partner in a law firm where he specializes in Qui Tam plaintiffs. These are whistleblowers who sue on behalf of the government, and get a cut of whatever the government recovers from the corporations committing fraud. Allie Whitman is the temp accountant that goes from corporation to corporation as an undercover whistleblower. She and Connor are friends only. Company policy forbids him from dating clients, and besides, Allie has a wannabe rocker boyfriend.

Trouble strikes when Allie's boyfriend gets in legal trouble, and Allie gets blackmailed into a situation that threatens her life. One of the companies Allie works for is involved in salvaging lost vessells at sea and looking for treasure. This company employs armed guards, and employees that ask too many questions are threatened. When Allie gets into too deep, her troubles begin.

Allie is a great character, a woman with a troubled past and a good heart who still struggles to make the right choices. I enjoyed her relationship with Connor, and could tell they longed to be together, but couldn't because of his work and her boyfriend. The momentum of their relationship stops midway through the novel, however, so that was a little disappointing, but it picks back up at the end.

I really enjoyed the realism of the legal aspects of the novel. Rick Acker is basically writing about the law he deals with in real life, and he makes it really interesting. Acker is an author I will continue to read. He creates good characters, solid supsense, and this book was a true page turner.

I have had this book on my kindle since Nov 2010...I do that with the free ones that sound ok put them on and then when I have nothing to read pick on and read it...wish I had done that sooner with this one.

Well written keeps your attention while giving you back ground into Allie and Conner without boring you and then bringing it all together as they basically keep another World War from starting. There are times you will not like Allie and times you will love and relate to her. She starts off with a drug addicted, user of a rocker boyfriend, but is strong willed in other parts of her life, to running away to standing up and fighting for what is right and not what is easy. Conner is a lovable lawyer who you enjoy from the start then might think wow he is a bit hard nosed!! To seeing that he opens his eyes that life is not always black/white. A very enjoyable / quick read. I look forward to seeing more from Acker.

I just finished the most interesting book, "When The Devil Whistles" by Rick Acker. I read his previous book, "Blood Brothers" and just loved it, now with The Devil he has gone to a whole different direction and I like it. He takes us inside the world of whistle blowers who uncover contractors defrauding the government on contracts. They sue the contractors and then the Department of Justice steps in and goes after them and the whistle blower then gets a cut of the settlement. Very interesting and then Rick throws in some possible romance, international espionage, nuclear warheads and things really start to heat up. I love the fact that the characters are not perfect, even the Connor who is the Christian makes mistakes and doesn't always act like he should. Allie makes more than her share of mistakes and there are consequences - lots of them. Rick has a style that is engaging and full of energy - the subject matter was so unique that I couldn't put this book down until I finished. Excellent. Put this one on your list to get when it comes out in October!

Loving to read, I'm always looking for the latest author who will catch my attention. I'm always wondering if the latest these days are going to thrill me with something I haven't seen. Well, when I got my hands on "Dead Man's Rule," Rick Acker answered that question. I'd found a new author to read, because he's not afraid to push the envelope at times. And with his latest, "When the Devil Whispers," Acker shows us he's not afraid to be a wild man! I like that!

Allie Whitman is already questionable, and so is her loser boyfriend, Erik. But her work has made her a slick buck or two when it comes to exposing the corporate world. But when Allie believes she doesn't have a choice in a certain matter, she screws things up pretty bad. She also drags Connor Norman into it as well. Now Connor doesn't know if he can trust her. And what does North Korea have to do with this crazy mess? Well, one thing is for sure, these two are teamed up for the ride of their life, even if it means their lives!

Acker has never been afraid to pull the trigger, and he isn't afraid this time either. He gets the job done with some great work! I hope people start paying attention to this guy. It works for me, because I just want to keep getting the latest and greatest he has to offer! And when I read and finish the next one, I know I'll be looking for the one after that. Rick Acker has kept my attention, and I hope he doesn't lose it for a long time!!