When the Devil Whistles
by Rick Acker
Paperback
Price: £9.99
Publisher:Abingdon Press from Alban Books
Published:February 2011
ISBN:978-1-426-70767-4
GoodBookStall Review:
An enjoyable thriller with well-rounded characters set in the shadowy world of the professional whistle-blower. Allie inserts herself into various companies as a ‘temp.’ accountant to collect evidence of fraud and corruption involving government money; Connor, a Christian lawyer, handles the legal side and the company that hides her identity. Her high success rate, however, attracts the unwelcome attentions of the unscrupulous. Her cover is blown and blackmail and betrayal follow. The author works for the California Department of Justice and his loving detailing of legal procedures is, on occasion, slightly overdone. Also, the sub-plot involving Koreans on a salvage boat comes across as almost an entirely separate story that only connects with the rest in the final few chapters. Overall, though, the quality of the writing and characterisation overrides these quibbles. “You find out who you are when the devil whistles” is the theme: Connor’s struggles to define and remain true to his ethical principles in the face of much pressure, and Allie’s painful process of self-discovery when her world implodes, make fascinating reading.
Reviewer: Diane Morrison (28/05/11)
An enjoyable thriller with well-rounded characters set in the shadowy world of the professional whistle-blower. Allie inserts herself into various companies as a ‘temp.’ accountant to collect evidence of fraud and corruption involving government money; Connor, a Christian lawyer, handles the legal side and the company that hides her identity. Her high success rate, however, attracts the unwelcome attentions of the unscrupulous. Her cover is blown and blackmail and betrayal follow. The author works for the California Department of Justice and his loving detailing of legal procedures is, on occasion, slightly overdone. Also, the sub-plot involving Koreans on a salvage boat comes across as almost an entirely separate story that only connects with the rest in the final few chapters. Overall, though, the quality of the writing and characterisation overrides these quibbles. “You find out who you are when the devil whistles” is the theme: Connor’s struggles to define and remain true to his ethical principles in the face of much pressure, and Allie’s painful process of self-discovery when her world implodes, make fascinating reading.
Reviewer: Diane Morrison (28/05/11)
