Acts of Nature

by Jonathon King

Book Overview

A PI's vacation in the Everglades is disrupted by a deadly hurricane--and dangerous criminals--in this riveting read by an Edgar Award-winning author. The peace and quiet of Max Freeman and Sherry... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0525950087
• ISBN13: 9780525950080
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: Dutton Books
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.2"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A real page turner

I'm a fan of Jonathan King.I like his style. "Act of Nature" is exciting and engrossing.Max, the main character, is a high energy type. Reference to Philadelphia is interesting.It is a look at Florida that the average person would not encounter.

An author hitting his stride

This entry is a work of excellence. More than before, the setting is a major player in the story. The characters fully drawn. The action moves from page 1 and doesn't stop. It will be a wonder, if someone doesn't make a film of this. As long as they are smart enough to film the book, as is, and not ruin it. A very well done job.

Max Freeman Meets The "Perfect Storm"

Jonathon King continues his fine work with his Max Freeman character in "Acts of Nature". Max Freeman, ex-cop and current PI, has developed into an exciting, must read addition to the South Florida subgenre. King is a master at using the written word to paint visual images of the everglades and the people who live in them but in "Acts of Nature" his extraordinary description of a massive hurricane and its aftermath is so breathtakingly vivid that you begin to hear the wind and feel the water. Max has convinced his girlfriend, Sherry Richards, to accompany him deep into the Everglades to a remote fishing cabin for a little well deserved R & R time together. Unbeknownst to them, a perfect storm (pun intended) is brewing that will alter their lives. A huge hurricane has shifted direction and is bearing down on their location as are two deadly security guards working for a large oil company hiding a secret in the swamps. Throw in three low life looters who take the opportunity to scavenge after the hurricane and you have the ingredients for the perfect storm. There is not a lot of mystery to be solved aside from who is behind the electronic fortress hidden in the middle of the swamp and for what it is intended. The story is more a thriller rooted in suspense as the hurricane strikes creating physical devastation both to property and to people necessitating the urgent need for Max to find a way to get Sherry to badly needed medical care. But now as the other elements of the perfect storm begin converging on the spot where Max and Sherry are sheltered, the suspense and the body count begin to rise ever higher. "Acts of Nature" delves deeper into Max's character and demonstrates the growth from his first appearance in "The Blue Edge of Midnight". He is far from the psychically wounded city boy trying to make it in the Florida wilderness that he was in that novel and the growth has energized each of the four books since his debut. If you are a devotee of hard boiled action heroes, tautly written plots that generate suspense and believability, you owe it to yourself to give Jonathon King a try.

"But today he was scared and would be until the threat of this new hurricane had passed"

This is Jonathon King's award winning recipe for a delightful mystery: 1 Private Investigator (Max Freeman) who spends a large part of his time living in a shack in the Everglades 1 Police Officer (Sherry) who is the girlfriend of the PI and has accepted to go on a lovescapade to the Glades 2 Men trained in serious combat and who work cleaning up the messes of a big company 3 Thieves, a man and two teenage boys, who decide to take advantage of a situation to scavenge a few houses 1 Large and mean alligator 1 Big hurricane that carries the rage of Mother Nature 1.Start by establishing the basic premise: the hurricane hits with devastating consequences. 2.Then describe the different groups of people that participate in the plot and allow us to understand what their motivations are. 3.After slowly building up the story and let the reader take it all in, mix all ingredients together in an explosive combination and at a furious pace. 4.Don't forget to check under your bed for dangerous animals, like alligators, and would not recommend this experience while camping. Serve and enjoy!

action-packed thriller

Max Freeman persuades his significant other, Broward County Sheriff Detective Sherry Richards for some quality time alone in the Everglades. She agrees to no electrons as he explains the nearest neighbors are alligators. However, nature and people intrude on their getaway. Three break and enter thieves Wayne, Marcus and Buck are heading there seeking a stash of guns and other treasures they can steal and sell to a fence; Martindale Security's only "client" Martin Crandall sends the two international oil operatives Harmon and Squires into the Glades on an assignment. These two groups will collide with the lovers in the middle as a hurricane hammers the guts of the Everglades placing the seven humans at the mercy of ACTS OF NATURE as they are all caught in the EYE OF VENGEANCE. This action-packed thriller never slows down from the moment that the three groups are introduced to the reader and converge as a hurricane sweeps the Glades. The story line is fast-paced yet the not so magnificent seven are for the most part unique protagonists although only Max and Sherry are fully developed beyond one trait tricks. The beauty of Jonathan King's exhilarating thriller is the stark isolation of the Everglades accentuated when Sherry is hurt and needs professional medical attention, but first they must survive the nature and human storms while trekking for miles to reach civilization. Jonathan King provides a terrific suspense thriller starring several hardboiled and a few middle boiled antagonists. Harriet Klausner