Detective Max Rupert makes a front and center appearance in Eskens’ third novel, The Heavens May Fall. I have to say the author set up Max Rupert’s character perfectly for his starring role in this third novel. Had Max had the starring role from the get go in Eskens’ first two novels, this novel could not have been as interesting or revealing to the reader.
Eskens’ third novel tells the story of pushing a friendship to a breaking point involving finding the truth of Jennavieve Pruitt’s death. The author almost has the reader believing in one ending and suddenly the stunning truth emerges just in the nick of time. Even so, I didn’t feel the suspense was as riveting as Eskens’ prior novel, The Guise of Another, however, the novel shows us the ugliness of wealth, power, and ego.
An attorney the reader can love
Attorney and professor, Boady Sanden and student, Lila Nash appear as central figures in this novel along with Detective Max Rupert. The reader will remember Boady Sanden and Lila Nash from Esken’s first novel, A Life We Bury.
Side Bar: The bestselling novel, A Life We Bury, is in development for a feature film which proves Esken’s has storytelling talent.
I love these familiar characters, especially Boady Sanden.
The novel reveals the friendship between attorney Boady Sanden and detective Max Rupert. The friendship becomes strained when Max is convinced that another attorney, Ben Pruitt, who tried to disparage Max Rupert’s reputation in a previous case has pleaded Boady Sanden into representing Ben in the murder of his wife, Jennavieve.
An attorney the reader can hate
Ben Pruitt whether he is innocent or guilty, he’s the type of attorney most readers will feel like they want to take a shower after meeting him or at least they will want to wash their hands. The reader cannot help vacillating between being on Boady’s side and Max’s side on whether to believe Ben Pruitt. The author does an excellent job in keeping us guessing right up to the ending.
Another winning novel
The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens is another storytelling winner. Eskens definitely has the right touch in bringing crime mystery to a level that takes his readers for wonderful ride into well-developed characters and plot lines. Allen Esken has certainly become one of my one new favorite authors of the year.
The Blogging Owl gives, The Heavens May Fall by Allen Eskens a definite 5-Hoot Rating.
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