The Shadow Box

by John R. Maxim

Michael Fallon has it all: devoted friends and family, a beautiful fiancee, and a great career. But a series of inexplicable and violent events begin to rob him of everything he loves. First the man who raised him is brutally murdered. A few days later, Michael's fiancee is gunned down during a convenience store hold-up. Finally he is fired from his job with no explanation. And now it seems strangers are trying to kill him. Fleeing to the island of Martha's Vineyard, Michael hopes for a new beginning--and possibly even a new love with the enigmatic Megan Cole. But little does he know that his entire life has been built on lies--and a vast conspiracy of corruption. And his pursuers are about to strike again. . .

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Crime, Thriller

393 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

John R. Maxim was born in Greenwich Village, NYC, educated at NY Jesuit Schools (Xavier and Fordham) played all the street sports and most team sports.
Comes from a family of cops and a few Feds. After school, took up flying, skydiving and dirt-track stock car racing until the Military decided it could do without him. Then went into marketing and advertising. Several awards. Rose to Senior VP at major New York Advertising agencies. Work involved a great deal of international travel. Major hobby back then was sailing.
Always wanted to write, however, and, one night on the bar car, decided to give it a year, succeed or fail. Sold first novel at age 41. Wrote 12 more plus one non-fiction, averaging a year and a half each. Translated into ten languages. Several were optioned for film or TV. Still waiting.
Took up skiing. Many trips to Switzerland and Colorado. With the kids gone, sold our Connecticut house and moved to Hilton Head Island with his beautiful wife, Christine, herself a champion sailor.

Reviews

[Robin]

After reading this book, I immediately searched to see if any of the author's other novels were at the library. You could read this book in a crowded, noisy stadium and be oblivious to your surroundings.

[lee]

DNFing on the 17th! I keep procrastinating on picking this up because the writing is so misogynistic and racist that I feel viscerally uncomfortable aside from finding the story clunky especially with tenses shifting by sentence in a few places. Finally hit the 100 page mark which is when I allow myself to DNF if I really hate the book. Got this from a used bookstore & will probably donate it because I hate the idea of throwing a book away and I’m sure someone out there would find enjoyment from it but I’m certainly not that person.

[Frank Consalvo]

I remember it had some good insight into the Pharmaceutical industry.

[Sue]

I really enjoy reading John R Maxim's writing. He weaves an excellent story!! I've read other books by him (including this one years ago) but enough years had gone by that I couldn't recall the entire storyline. Once I did recall more of it I was enthralled all over again and am reading this book for a second time! 😊

Great character development, lots of layers to the story, and you care about the characters! I wish there were more book by this author for me to read ... if I'm lucky I might find one more. It also highlights a lot of things (and more) that I've heard and read about the pharmaceutical industry and the FDA.

[Barry]

Decent plot but all over the place with the story. And there were too many unnecessary characters, I couldn't keep all of them straight. There was something just a bit off with the writing style, I could never really get into the story. It was hard to figure out what the plot was and where the story was going at first. It got a little better towards the end but then everything happened all at once.

All in all, an ok story but I won't be going out of my way to find any more stories from this author.

[Paula]

Michael has been raised by an uncle since the age of 12. He's had everything he ever wanted but is a humble young man. After college he comes back home to New York and is working for a pharmaceutical company, following in his father's footsteps. When his uncle is killed, Michael's whole world comes tumbling down.

I had a real hard time putting this book down. The pace was fast and kept me turning pages. You couldn't decide who was the good guy and who was the bad guy from time to time but it all comes together and made a great story. I'll look for more of Maxim's books.

[Jilles]

Nice enough thriller, but the exact same structure as The Bannerman Solution, where the back story becomes the main story with other characters delving it up, and the main character kind of leaving the center of the story exapt for the beginning and the ending.

[Tori]

It was on the shelf of the rental in MV. Decent enough beach read.

[Eleanor Thompson]

Convoluted plot filled with continuity errors, dirty cops, no repercussions for wrongdoings, which all unbelievably wraps up into a package with a bow on it.

[Randy Kennedy]

Not written well, couldn’t tell what was spoken or unspoken, and story erratically jumped around. Good story but sort of supernatural which was not really expected.

[Paul Close]

Good and believable characters, writing is slow and stilted in places. Not bad

[Donald Trump]

Low Energy!
** 2 Stars.

[Danelle Black]

I love this series, fun, eventful, and a little more playful than Tom Clancy

[Caroline Miller]

I genuinely don’t remember what this book was about. Will possibly have to reread in the future.

[Ravi Agarwal]

It was an ok kinda book, it was more about - what luck can do to u - rather than a mystery novel, but one thing it taught me is that the people who live with us are not always close to us and the one who are away are not always the enemy......I wont give it a tag of must read or should read but I can pass a tag of "can read", not that boring ..........

[Joe O'Connor]

Very Good; Man's uncle and girlfriend are killed, he gets fired, and attempts are made to kill him as well; working with a psychic he discovers its because of a pharmaceutical company cover-up of bogus medications.

[Pa]

An above average suspense tale with reasonably good plot and character development. Nothing special, but an OK read. Probably closer to a 3.5 star.

[Jessy245]

This was such a fast, easy, and exciting read. I really enjoyed it and the theme is still current.

[Space]

This was an okay story, I had fun with it, but I don't like the author. I won't be reading any more of his work.

[Janet]

I enjoyed this book until the end. The ending was so bad I cannot recomend this book. At best this was a made for TV book, action and no substance

[Taylor]

Read this while touring Europe in 1998. I still recall the Title so it must have left an impression on me.

[Melissa (Always Behind)]

Thriller/adventure. Very long and got bogged down. Too much about counterfeit drugs. Love story and twists pretty good.