Have you ever wanted to just become someone else? Ever had the feeling that you were meant to do something else with your life? Ever been bullied, and wished that just once you could fight back? If any of these themes grab you, then you need to get Able, Baker, Charley by John Maxim. This is one of those rare reads that just keeps getting better chapter by chapter. I noted that this excellent book has recently been re-released too, so should not be hard to find. I have reread this book a half dozen times, and will probably continue to do so until Mr. Maxim DOES A SEQUEL.

This book is a rare JEM. From beginning to end you are totally engrosed by action and suspense. The main Character(s) Baker is one that is likable from the start. My uncle gave this book to me and said this is a MUST read. He was right. This book is like a hit song, one hook after another. Just when you think you've figured out what is happening, BOOM, you're totally floored by the unexpected. The story of multiple personalites has been done many times, but never wrapped around an adventure like this. Baker is not unlike all of us. He's just been able to separate emmotions into separate people. If it's possible, find this book. You won't regret your effort

I have read all the Maxim's books with Bannerman in the title and have LOVED them! Great books! Great writer! Great premise for the books! I like the way this writer writes!

John R. Maxim's tail of Paul Bannerman keeps you glued to your seat. The exquisit details of the set and persons make the story come to life in your mind. As bannerman leads you through the world of contract assasins and spies, the action pursues. The suspense is so shattering you don't know whether to run and hide - or keep reading. From page one you know exactly where Maxim is placing you - and Bannerman. Paul Bannerman leads you through the world of contract assasins and spies. This

book, as do all of Maxim's books, keeps you in suspense from page to page. This is a must read book. What will Maxim come up with next?

"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 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.

"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.

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!

That's what the sticker says on my jacket cover, quoting Iris Johansen, who is another of my favorites. And, wow, has she nailed it with just those eight words. My only complaint with Bannerman's Ghosts is that I waited too long for it and devoured it too quickly. I can't remember when I felt so many emotions in the course of reading a single book. It had me laughing out loud and then crying real tears, sometimes within the same page. It had me horrified, scared and wanting to cheer. It made me fall in love with three different characters.

I hesitate, in fact, to refer to them as characters because they seem so utterly real and so human. It had me in awe of the research that Maxim must have done and wondering how he got his sources to talk to him. It made me wonder how Maxim knows Bannerman and his people so well. Especially Carla and Elizabeth Stride and my personal favorite, John Waldo. So, you know what I think? I think they are real. And I think that Maxim must be one of them.

The definition of "neighborhood watch" takes on an entirely new meaning in this latest Bannerman thriller by John R. Maxim IV. Long time fans and first time readers will be pleased to see favorite characters from his early novels and those from recent endeavors gather together to wreck havoc and just a touch of personal vengeance on the villains so aptly created by Maxim.

As with other Bannerman novels, GHOSTS is impossible to lay aside until the highly emotional final chapter and epilogue leaves you wishfully hoping Bannerman's Prophecy is already on its way to the publisher.

A recommendation for Hollywood: Beat a path to John Maxim's door for the Bannerman movie rights!

Without question, the best mix of time-travel and love for both the city and the people in it is Jack Finney's Time and Again. Time and Again is the book Maxim wished he had written. Every page of Time Out of Mind reminded me of how each situation was better handled and more interesting in Finney's book and it's sequel.

Certainly there are differences between Maxim and Finney, but its clear who Maxim read while thinking about his book. Time Out of Mind is ok, but instead of having to time travel back and stop yourself from potentially wasting valuable time, grab some of Maxim's other books... and while you are at it, grab a copy of Finney's Time and Again.

Here is a "time travel" adventure without time travel as the hero relives the past through visions of ancestral memories. A good plot, interesting characters, and well-written. My only reason for not giving this five stars was that it becomes a bit overlong. This book could have said and done all it had and still been had 80% less verbose. The author is recommended to all readers. I liked some of his other books a little bit better - especially "Shadow Box." You can count on John R Maxim for a good read every time out.

A totally engrossing book from the first chapter. I originally read this book when it was first published and I still remember its fascinating plot. John Corbin has dreams of a previous life, but are they only dreams. The reader will journey from modern-day New York City to NYC at the turn of the century (1900's), plus meet some historical figures along the way. I highly recommend this book as well as Maxim's "Abel Baker Charlie." They are both worth the time.

I picked up a copy Whistler's Angel in an airport bookstore when faced with an unexpected flight delay. I had not read any of Maxim's other works and did not know exactly what to expect. This first exposure will have me going back for more. Maxin spins an intriguing story, effectively bouncing back between the present and the past while building to an exciting climax. The book follows Adam Whistler, an ex-special forces soldier and government assassin who is fighting the realities of his past and the corruption of his superiors, and Claudia (who believes she has been tasked with being Adam's guardian angel following her own brush with death) as they come to grips with events that have brought them together. Whistler's Angel is packed with action, suspense, plot twists and good character development. I suspect, however, that the book would have been better is I was more familiar with some of the characters that clearly had been part of Maxim's previous works. I suppose it is time to go back to the early Maxim, starting with the Bannerman series.

What's the best part of reading a John R. Maxim novel -- is it the engaging plots or the fully animated, totally alive characters? I hope you're not looking for an answer here, because I can argue forcefully for either answer. I have read and re-read all of Maxim's books, and just can't get enough!

Whistler's Angel is the sort of book that keeps you up at night. You promise yourself that you'll go to bed at the end of the current chapter, and an hour later you're still furiously turning pages. His characters are so fully realized that you feel that you now them as friends by the end of the book. Maxim also does something that few authors try...he cross-populates his books. Whistler's Angel is a stand-alone, non-series book (at least so far), and yet characters from his popular Bannerman series appear in the plot. [To return the favor, Whistler's Angel characters appear in the new Bannerman book, along with other Maxim characters. Even one of the main Bannerman characters first appeared in Time Out Of Mind.]

You'll find good descriptions of the plot of this book elsewhere on this page, so I'll spare you my own synopsis. Suffice it to say that this is a great book that guarantees the reader many hours of pleasurable reading. The plot has more than enough twists and turns to satisfy even the most demanding reader. Also well featured is Maxim's trick of showing you a piece of the plot, and then bringing it back later so you can see it from a different angle, and get a new and deeper meaning from it.

When you're done with this book, you'll also want to try Shadowbox, Haven, and all of the Bannerman books. Becoming a Maxim fanatic is well worth the effort!

All of you Maxim readers are going to need afew more spaces on your "favorite characters" list. The new players Mr. Maxim has brought to us in Whistler's Angel are every bit as memorable as our old favorites from earlier Maxim books. Adam and his clever guardian angel Claudia, Whistler's father, the Twins, all marvelous new characters. And how delightful to run into some of our old Bannerman friends. Thank you Mr. Maxim for bringing us up to date with some of Bannerman's people. Was happy to hear that Paul and Susan now have a family. What do you Bannerman fans think Lesko had to say about that?? and can't you just picture the twins slipping behind the bar to give Billy a hand? Glad to see the Maxim "family" of characters enlarged. They will all get along just fine. Can't wait to see them in future books. If you have never read a Maxim try Whistler's Angel with acouple of warnings. Don't start it if you have other things you need to be doing because you will not be able to put it down and then be prepared to make several trips to your nearest book store because one Maxim is never enough! You will want to read them all. My only complaint with Mr. Maxim is that he could never write fast enough for me.

This was my first Maxim book, but it won't be my last.

This story had a nice tight plot that answered all questions posed in the beginning. The opening scene set up the reasons and plausibility of the events to follow. By the end of the opening scene, I knew who I wanted to see "get it" in the story.

The author drops information about the characters throughout the story that makes the motivations behind their actions very easy to understand. They were very likeable and real, and aptly described. In fact, there's one character in the book that I wanted to "shake" in order to make them understand that he/she should learn to listen. But since it's a character in a book, I settled for some mumbling under my breath.

The scenes were well described too; that includes the action scenes as well as the more emotional scenes that tended to provide insight into the characters' lives. There's a pretty good balance of both, which went a long way in helping character development. And the descriptions were good enough to allow you to "see" the action as it was going on. In one scene, I felt as if I were down at the waterfront viewing the events as they happened. This happens a lot in the book. The dialog was also good and appropriate.

The pace changes according to the events in the book. But in any case, the pace was appropriate. The action scenes read faster and the character-building scenes a little slower. However, the book didn't "drag" at all, which would have quickly lost my attention.

While I would have preferred a different ending, the one provided is understandable. Would I recommend this book? Yes. It's a darn good read and worth your time and money.

It's hard to know what to say about John R. Maxim's novel Haven. It manages to be both tremendously entertaining and frustrating at the same time. The books defies easy classification. The central story is more a love story than a thriller but the lovers are both assassins, though with different motivations. The beginning scenes of the novel are harsh, ugly and difficult to take. The book's finale is overlong and also hard to take because, at least for this reader, what happens is not pleasing. But in between there is a complex story, featuring violence, humor, pathos, and a variety of interesting characters. There is also a lot of great dialogue, although the imagined dialogues the lead characters have with one another tend to be a bit overdone.

I haven't read anything else by Maxim, but after this I plan to. Even though this was not a totally satisfying reading experience it was quite entertaining and anyone who can imagine somthing this unlikely and bring it off as well as he does, deserves an audience.

Elizabeth Stride,a former Israeli assassin known as the "Black Angel" has moved to Hilton Head Island to make her home. She is also trying to escape her past lover Martin Kessler a former Stasi agent.Elizabeth starts dating a surgeon but Martin Kessler reappears.A teenage girl is about to be abducted by an English bounty hunter named Pratt who has been hired by her uncle.This is holds the key to a terrible terrorist act.Elizabeth and Martin join forces to protect this teenage girl and the action begins.They battle the teenage girl's uncle,various terrorist elements and many other forces of evil.You have every kind of gun battle that you can imagine. The action is fast and furious.
The ending of this book is also very good. You will definitely like this book.

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.

Amazon's book recommendations suggested I read this and I am not so sure I can replicate the logic that those who shared my previous preferences liked this book. Okay, that sounded very convoluted, but that may describe some of my frustrations with Maxim's story. I was curious about the venue of Martha's Vineyard and toward the end I did find myself anxiously turning pages. Maybe that was to bring it to a merciful ending. Still I have reservations about a very positive review. For example, I did suggest it to someone in the pharmaceutical industry, but with some trepidation. It seems to be an action/adventure, but the action was stilted and I think the adventure would have been just as forced if the hero had spoken dialogue as apposed to... Well I don't want to give that away in case you do choose to read this book. The bottom line is that I am always looking for additional authors whose books I will enjoy, but I don't think Mr Maxim is one.

Maxim writes well and I enjoyed this book. Although this novel is a "thriller" by definition, the parts of Maxim's writing that I enjoy most are not the action parts of a book. It is the character deveopment, the location descriptions, and the love story that I really like. The author does an excellent job with those things in this novel. Just the right length too; not stretched out nor too thin. You will enjoy Maxim's other books if you like this one. I did and do.

I love all the Bannerman books and Bannerman's Promise is no different. My only complaint with this one is that my favorate character is Billy, and he doesn't really have a roll in this one. But once again Maxim has hit a homer, the way his characters maintain levety at the strangest possible times had me laughing out lound. The pace was great. Mr. Maxim I have a request....MORE BANNERMAN!!

John Maxim writes a great thriller, and I love all the characters in the Bannerman series, but his Obstetrics and Gynecology is
horrible. None of it makes any sense. Just ignore the diagnoses, and the story is great.

John Maxim writes a great thriller, and I love all the characters in the Bannerman series, but his Obstetrics and Gynecology is
horrible. None of it makes any sense. Just ignore the diagnoses, and the story is great.

Talk about a recap, the first 161 pages were taken word for word from the previous book. I was very disappointed, and wanted my money back. He redeems himself with the next two Bannerman books.

After reading the "Bannerman Solution" I found this book to be a dissapointment. The first part of the book was a repeat of the previous book the "Bannerman Solution". It was like rereading the first book the "Bannerman Solution". I was also dissapointed that the Ripper Effect was never fully implemented. This could have made this book a better read. This also caused the book to fall short. The usual cast of characters alone saved this book.Thank god we had Billy,Carla,Anton,Lesko,Elena and company to fall back on. I was also dissapointed about the lightweight villains thar were featured in the "Bannerman Effect". Maxim could have done better here also. I am going to read more of the Bannerman books and hope that they get better.

One reader claimed that the first 161 pages were a verbatim recap of the previous Bannerman book. That doesn't begin to be true. There is a recap, but almost none of it is verbatim because that action is seen from different, often sinister points of view by characters who made their first appearance in this book. The editor thought the recap was needed because this would be the first Bannerman book for many readers, and, because even the readers of the first one probably needed a reminder of who's who after waiting 18 months for this one to be published. The book was very favorably reviewed by people who had less trouble understanding that it's not so easy to do a sequal that balances the expectations of both old and new readers.