Supermax: The Max and Angela Trilogy

by Ken Bruen, Jason Starr

A pitch-black crime comedy from two of the hottest thriller writers on either side of the Atlantic, Supermax is a bloody, bawdy odyssey of drug dealing, adultery, and murder for fans of Elmore Leonard, Carl Hiaasen, and Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho.

THE MOST OUTRAGEOUS CRIME STORY EVER TOLD –

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN ONE VOLUME!

When a small-time businessman who's a legend in his own mind (that would be Max) hatches a plan with his sexpot secretary (that's Angela) to murder his wife and live happily ever after, you might think everything would go smoothly – but Max and Angela are in for the ride of their lives, as an escalating series of bad decisions and worse luck plunges them into a tsunami of crime and depravity featuring IRA hitmen, an aspiring serial killer, a wheelchair-bound blackmailer, trigger-happy drug dealers, and the warring factions in one of the world's deadliest prisons.

Genres: Crime

607 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 25, 2025

About the author

Ken Bruen was an Irish writer of hardboiled and noir crime fiction.

Reviews

[Michael Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reread "Bust", which is the first of three novels in this volume.

Ken Bruen was an Irish crime writer who told hardboiled stories with allot of violence, alcohol and drugs. He died in March of this year. Jason Starr is an American crime writer who tells hard guy stories. Starting in 2006 they collaborated on four novels featuring Max Fisher and Angela Petrakos. The books were published as original paperbacks by Hard Case Crime publishing. Hard Case has recently re-released the first three books in an omnibus volume titled "Supermax".

I read them as they came out between 2006 and 2008. I enjoyed them enough that I am happy to reread them. One of the blurbs on this volume says "if Quenton Tarantino is looking for another movie project, this novel with its shocking violence and black comedy would be a perfect candidate." That sounds right.

Jason Starr has an introduction to this volume. He says that when he and Bruen began writing they agreed that "neither one of us wanted to redeem any characters.". They held to that.

Max Fisher is a crooked, selfish, amoral jerk who owns a computer networking company in New York City. He wants to kill his wife because it is too expensive to divorce her. Angela Petrakos is a sexy Irish girl with fake boobs She is also completely amoral. She has a boyfriend Dillon who is violent, crazy and not too bright. Bobby Rosa is in a wheelchair after being shot by the boyfriend of a girl he is seeing. He is sleazy, greedy and very weird. None of these four characters are redeemed in the novel.

Max is having an affair with Angela, who is his secretary. Angela recommends Dillon for the job of killing Max's wife. The killing is a mess. Bobby gets information that allows him to blackmail Max, then Angela and then Dillon. None of this ends well.

This is a great fast-moving black comedy New York City story. I look forward to rereading the other two novels in this volume.

[Sean Branson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a compilation of three novels written together by Ken Bruen and Jason Star: Bust, Slide, and The Max. Together, they are a wild ride that revolves around Max Fisher and Angela Petrokas, as they wreak havoc (and death) among the lives they touch.

Of the three novels, Bust was my favorite, though I found them all entertaining. If you’re looking for an entertaining crime story spanning both sides of the Atlantic, and you don’t mind irredeemable characters, this one might be for you. Another great addition to the Hard Case Crime library!

[Claudette Gabbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well...I've never read a book that had every character living in a fantasy world inside their own heads. Every character was like that. Delusional.

Full Book review:
https://rottiegirl-2.blogspot.com/202...

[Theodore Kinni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hope the authors got as many laughs relay-writing this Jim Thompson-on-acid noir crime trilogy as I did reading it. But if it doesn't get you laughing right away, you should bag it early on.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Supermax : The Max and Angel Trilogy
By Ken Bruen & Jason Starr

This beautifully bound three book series combines: Bust, Slide and The Max into one fanastic book.

Classic crime noir at its best with a man you love to hate as lead, Max Fisher. The sassy money hungry Angela Petrakos, is a perfect female lead.

They will stop at nothing with their schemes and plots to become wealthy and carefree. Leaving a path of destruction and dead bodies along the way.

The story moves at a fast pace told from multiple points of view. Plenty of action, double crossing and a splash of humor. The perfect mix for a (classic) crime thriller. I was hooked from the first page.

Overall I found Supermax very enjoyable. I highly recommended to those who love crime noir. I look forward to reading the fourth book in the series , Pimp.