Overview

""This cheeky hero helms another gleefully offbeat detective story."" - Kirkus Reviews Broke and not getting any younger, Max Bowman has officially hit bottom. Dogged by trolls and an angry ex, he flees to California, where he ends up running a detective agency with a dead man's name on it. That's when a new client who's not quite right in the head shows up - because he thinks the government is breaking into his apartment to move food around in his refrigerator. It's also when zombie assassins start showing up wherever Max goes, killing everyone on site except him. But wait, there's more! From a mysterious start-up in Silicon Valley to a deadly chase on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, Max is once again in search of the source of all the weirdness - and the trail shockingly takes him directly to the White House, where the president has big, beautiful plans for Max. Which is why many people are saying this is the best Max adventure yet - and that's not fake news. (Disclaimer: This book is NOT about RFK. Jr.)

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Reviews

Kirkus Reviews: This cheeky hero helms another gleefully offbeat detective story. Assassins make things difficult for a private eye hiding out in California in this fifth installment of Canfield's series. After previous cases have seriously complicated his life, 68-year-old shamus Max Bowman flees the East Coast for the West. He sets up a PI business under an alias there and doesn't see much action; that changes when he meets with a ghostwriter, whom he enlists to write his tell-all biography (Max pretends to be a friend wanting to clear Max's name). At that meeting, not only does Max spot an old pal from his former CIA days, but he also finds himself in the midst of a shoot-out with hooded assassins. In the ensuing days, he sees others from his past as well as return appearances by those assassins, though Max isn't quite sure who they're targeting. Is it possible that one seemingly paranoid client of his-a man who's positive that someone's manipulative tactics include subtly moving food around his apartment-is connected to everything that's been happening? Fans of Canfield's series likely won't be disappointed this time out, as the endearingly quippy PI has hardly changed: In one scene, he characterizes a working theory as ""possible,"" only to clarify that it's ""also possible that my dog [is] the reincarnation of Jesus Christ."" The vibrant supporting cast is a blend of new and returning characters, including Max's (much) younger neighbor, Denise, who witnesses one of those assassin attacks, and his lovable, clingy dog, Eydie. On the mystery front, Max does comparatively little detective work; other characters typically relay to him what they've unearthed themselves. The conspiracy that Max ultimately uncovers isn't particularly far-fetched and has a real-world link that renders it even more plausible. The final act retains the novel's overall breezy tone while ramping up the suspense. This cheeky hero helms another gleefully offbeat detective story. Readers' Favorite: Joel Canfield's Brain Worm is a comedic novel where Max's fake death leads him into an absurd war over his own body and public identity. The comedy turns brilliantly strange. Max's televised White House address, collapsing into nonsense and repeated cries of ""chocolate tuba,"" is unforgettable, and his drugged dream featuring ventriloquist figures and surreal dismemberment pushes the book into boldly inventive comic territory. Max is highly likeable because, beneath the chaos, he remains deeply human. His devotion to Eydie, especially when he immediately arranges her chemotherapy from afar, shows real tenderness. An invitation extended to Angie also shows a man still reaching for connection after repeated loss. The humor is intelligent and witty, and the prose is polished. The settings are exceptionally well drawn, from the underground Davidson shelter that feels claustrophobic to an East Room broadcast scene that turns a seat of power into a stage for farce. Adult readers who enjoy satirical political fiction and offbeat comic thrillers will go nuts for this. Very highly recommended. Five stars.

Author Information

A novelist, screenwriter and ghostwriter, Canfield has lived in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, Miami Beach, Auckland, New Zealand, and his own personal Pennsylvania trifecta, Pittsburgh, Wilkes-Barre and his hometown of Bethlehem. He now resides in Hermosa Beach, California with his writer-editor wife Lisa and socially awkward dog Ivy, but he will undoubtedly move again, because that's just what he does. Canfield's books include Dark Sky, Blue Fire, Red Earth and White Rain (the first four books in his Max Bowman series); What's Driving You : How I Overcame Abuse and Learned to Lead in the NBA (co-authored with Keyon Dooling and Lisa Canfield); Pill Mill: My Years of Money, Madness, Sex and Drugs (co-authored with Christian Valdes and Lisa Canfield); and 226: How I Became the First Blind Person to Kayak the Grand Canyon (co-authored with Lonnie Bedwell, in addition to ghostwriting numerous books for clients. Blue Fire was a 2016 Silver Honoree in the Benjamin Franklin Digital Awards as well as a semi-finalist in the Book Life Prize in Fiction competition. Red Earth was a 2017 Gold Honoree in the Benjamin Franklin Digital Awards. He has also co-written six TV movies with wife Lisa, including one in which Gladys Knight sings a tire store jingle he wrote. Find out more at gethipcreative.com.

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