The Leveler

by James McLaughlin

When our world suddenly crumbles apart we are faced with multiple options. We can choose to accept responsibility for our own failures, change what needs to be changed, pick up the pieces and start all over again. Or, we can choose to hold everyone else responsible for our failures and seek revenge. The Leveler is a failed man who chooses not to accept personal responsibility for the miserable way his life has turned out. Pursued by rookie homicide detective Beebe Lawless, The Leveler goes on a week long killing spree seeking revenge against those he feels conspired to ruin his life.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Ebooks

Nook

First published June 7, 2011

About the author

His lifelong love of reading coupled with an overactive imagination fueled the creation of Jim McLaughlin's novels. Starting with comic books as a kid, Jim is never without a good book to read. A career move to Chicago was the spark that ignited the story behind "The James Charade". The recent economic downturn set in motion the central theme in "The Leveler". His latest novel, "Two Billion Reasons to Kill???", features Burton James, the popular character first introduced to the world in "The James Charade".

Born in Iowa and raised in Prairie Village, Kansas, Jim spent the majority of his career in the medical industry. He retired in 2005 after selling his Kansas City based medical equipment company.

Jim now spends his time reading and writing. He loves to travel with his wife, is addicted to boating, is lousy at golf but still likes to play, and spends his spare time in his glass bead studio where he practices the age old art of lampwork.

Reviews

[Marla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book. The detective Beebe Lawless is a wonderful character and the plot is interesting.

[Susan Kiel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read for a freebie.

[B · Rating 4 out of 5]

i'm so amazed at how it sucked me in from the beginning and kept me needing to see what happens next! Loved this book! I am going to look for more from this author!

[Rhonda West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book for free from my Nook book store and was so amazed at how it sucked me in from the beginning and kept me needing to see what happens next! Loved this book! I am going to look for more from this author! It took me 3 days and would have taken me a lot less time if I did not have my little family to take care of! :-)

[Dan Davidson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's pretty good. A very easy read. The chapters that focus on The Leveler prepping and executing (see what I did there?) the murders are really good. I'm not a big fan of the Lawless character though.

[Larae Blankemeier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book on my Nook, recommened by a friend. I had a hard time putting it down and almost didnt want it to end. Highly recommend this book! I am really hoping there are more boks coming out with Beebe involved. Great work Mr. McLaughlin!

[Gordon Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you do if you are a rookie cop in a small town, your supervisor ends up in the hospital, and you are faced with stoping a psycho on a killing spree? That's the basis of this story and I found it to be an enjoyable read.

[Jack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thriller in which homicide detective Beebe Lawless suffers all kinds of setbacks in the hunt for a serial killer.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was a recommended read on my nook. It was captivating and exciting. There were a few "slow" moments in the book but they should not be overshadowed by what a great murder/mystery this is.

[Cindi Chase · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was fast paced from the first page to the last. The story was good and the author kept the excitement going. It was hard to put the book down.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/26/2014-on page 228, so just over 1/3 of the way through this book. So far it's so-so. One thing I've noticed is a lot of information, unecessary to the plot. For example: " She spied a single donut in a box sitting on one of the tables in the lunchroom, obviously left over from goodies some one brought in earlier in the day. She gloomed on to the donut, and then returned to her office to listen to the rest of the interview tape." Except for returning to listen to the interview tape, this just seemed really irrelevant to the plot. Just my opinion, however, I think this book could have been edited down considerably from the 636 pages I've got on my NOOK version of this book. We'll see how it evolves.
2/27/2014 - So after all is said and done, I didn't really love this book. It was okay and was an interesting enough story, however, the writing style just was too much for me. All the unecessary details that did nothing to help the story along. It got to be distracting.

[Kevin Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had mixed feelings about this book. I thought that the writin itself deserved 4 stars (or more). However, the characters were thinly developed and the plot was not particularly engaging. The writing style kept me reading until the end and I wasn't disappointed. I just would have enjoyed it more if the level of plot tension were a little higher.

[Dori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truthfully, I'd give it 3 1/2 stars. It kept me interested and was an easy read; but it was a very predictable story with only a couple of real surprises. I kept waiting for a twist or something unexpected to happen.
On the upside, I really did like the main female character and would like to read more of her, so having said that, I'm glad I read the boom even of it wasn't my absolute favorite.

[Nancy Holtz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a free Nook Book so I thought I'd download it and give it a try. It was a quick read, even at over 600 pages. Certainly not great literature, but a page turner nonetheless. I wanted to see what would happen next, even though parts of it seemed a bit far fetched. I did enjoy the book but wish that the characters could have been a bit more developed.

[DENNIS g BRUNSWICK · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

I thought it was good for the first half maybe, but after that it took a nosedive for me. All these people getting killed, the cop getting shot in the house, Collins saying " We got lucky tonight" , it was just to over the top. I will read more of his books though. Everybody can have a bad day.

[KT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but dragged on and didn't like what happened to collins

[Vicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many murders! Kind of creepy actually. But I like a detective story.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by James McLaughlin and i loved it.

[Kerry Fine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't have high hopes for this one, but I am glad to be proven wrong!

[Ashley Dries · Rating 2 out of 5]

very long and drawn out.

[Darel Krieger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great murder story. Gets right to i and doesn't,t let you go,until,the final shot is fired.

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A serial killer

This was a fast read with lots of suspense. Straight forward writing with not a lot of the usual boring background filler.