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Leo Maxwell #5
Wolf's Revenge
“Full of revelations, surprises and shocks,” the fifth Leo Maxwell mystery pits the underdog defense attorney against an unforgiving prison gang (Bookreporter). Lachlan Smith’s Shamus Award–winning series continues with attorney-detective Leo Maxwell seeking an exit strategy from his family’s deepening entanglement with a ruthless prison-based gang. Caught between the criminals and the FBI, Leo charts his own path in defending a young woman who was manipulated into brazenly murdering a member of the Aryan Brotherhood in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. When the consequences strike heartbreakingly close to home, Leo, his brother Teddy, and the rest of the family are forced into a winner-takes-all confrontation with men who don’t care how many innocents they harm in achieving their goals. As Leo’s world collapses, long-held secrets are revealed, transforming his perspective on the aftermath of the tragedy that derailed his childhood and fractured his family twenty-one years ago. The question then becomes who will get revenge first—the Maxwells or the sadistic gang leader who pursues them? “In its complexity, Wolf’s Revenge might remind a reader of a John le Carré novel; few are who they seem to be. Spies and double agents abound. This novel has action, some violence, but its real strengths are its intricacy and some rather dispiriting revelations about our criminal justice system.” —Tuscaloosa News “Operating at the top of his game, Smith is as good as anyone writing today at combining a mystery with the overlay of existential dread that noir fans relish.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
- GenresMystery
267 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2017
6 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
November 25, 2017
I enjoyed reading this well written legal thriller. The bad guys are revealed early on, making it a thriller and not a mystery. Leo Maxwell is a lawyer who represents clients from the AB(Ayran Brotherhood), a criminal gang involved in murder, drugs, prostitution and other crimes. His father and brother also work for the AB. Leo gets a client from the AB, accused of murder. Leo's father is murdered and the rest of his family and Leo are threatened. How Leo survives makes for a page turning thriller. I recommend it to legal fans.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this book.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for sending me this book.
September 18, 2017
Great drama Lachlan Smith! There's great courtroom drama in this legal thriller as well as quite of bit of action. Not sure why I read the 5th book in a series when I haven't read any of the previous books, but it didn't matter - after a little slowness in the first two chapters I was hooked. May have to go back and read the earlier books. This centers around an attorney who has been kind of trapped into defending people for the Aryan Brotherhood and he wants out - but there are threats and consequences and getting out is not going to be an easy task. Most of the time I'm rooting for Leo, but sometimes I wasn't so sure about him. There's a lot going on it this story and everything is not black and white.
My thanks to Lachlan Smith and Grove Atlantic - Mysterious Press through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
My thanks to Lachlan Smith and Grove Atlantic - Mysterious Press through Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
October 12, 2017
Boy, Leo and his family really can't catch a break! So much happened in this one, so many secrets were revealed, but I think that Leo and Teddy are in the worst situation they have been in by the end. It's the very definition of rock and hard place. It will be interesting to see the path that they choose to take.
March 1, 2022
Lawyer/criminal conflict at its best.
I would recommend reading the series in order.
I would recommend reading the series in order.
November 28, 2017
My review of this book is now online here: https://www.mysteryscenemag.com/26-re...
April 2, 2018
2.5 stars for this book.
Leo Maxwell is an attorney who just wants one thing - to keep his family safe. But with threats coming from his main employer, Bo Wilder, head of the Aryan Brotherhood, and pressure coming from the FBI, Leo will have to decide where his priorities lie.
I had a difficult time deciding how to review Wolf's Revenge. There's a lot to appreciate about it - action, intense courtroom scenes, intriguing gang plots. It's obvious that the author thought a lot about the story and want to provide an exciting tale for the readers to chew on, with plenty of suspense and mystery.
It really just wasn't the book for me.
My primary complaint is that I was just kind of bored the whole time. I would enjoy the book as I read it, but I had a difficult time convincing myself to start reading. There was a lot of suspense, but nothing that really caught my interest and nothing that made me keep reading to find out what would happen next.
I think the primary reason for this is that Wolf's Revenge starts with high stakes and a lot of action and never really stops having action. Each scene, each decision, each moment is life-or-death and there are never moments of Leo doing something mundane or small. Everything has the possibility to change everyone's future in a huge way and it got dull after awhile. If everything is superintense, nothing is intense. The stakes don't matter anymore if they stay ridiculously high the entire time.
I also did not connect with the main character. Leo is, in some ways, a Gary Stu. He is good at everything and is always the only one who can properly handle everything. He has to shoulder every burden on his own and he's the only one who is clever enough to outsmart the bad guys (and win the case). Leo is kind of like a robot as well - he never has an appropriate emotional response to events in his life because he's too cool and so hardcore. That doesn't make a relateable charcter. Especially since I haven't read the previous books, it was difficult for me to really understand why he's the most important character and the only one who can help.
And that leads into my next problem. I haven't read the other books, so there's a lot that wasn't entirely clear - i.e. other characters, past events, etc. However, with the little knowledge that I was given about past events and the importance of various characters, the character deaths in this book felt.....anticlimactic. At one point, Leo hasn't been able to get in touch with a character for a few days, so he goes to their house and finds them dead. He then spends a few pages discussing the death with his brother and then....it's done. It rarely comes up again, even though this is a character that is supposed to be important. The author constantly tells us how upset Leo is instead of using Leo's actions to show how significant this event is. It's lazy writing and it made the characters feel more like props than people.
I probably would have enjoyed this more if I'd read the earlier books in the series, but I don't know if I would have been able to get through 4 more books like this. They're exciting (to a point), but there's no diversity of plot and in the end, it seems like everything was for naught anyway, so it felt like a waste of time.
Recommended to lovers of thrillers and courtroom dramas.
Leo Maxwell is an attorney who just wants one thing - to keep his family safe. But with threats coming from his main employer, Bo Wilder, head of the Aryan Brotherhood, and pressure coming from the FBI, Leo will have to decide where his priorities lie.
I had a difficult time deciding how to review Wolf's Revenge. There's a lot to appreciate about it - action, intense courtroom scenes, intriguing gang plots. It's obvious that the author thought a lot about the story and want to provide an exciting tale for the readers to chew on, with plenty of suspense and mystery.
It really just wasn't the book for me.
My primary complaint is that I was just kind of bored the whole time. I would enjoy the book as I read it, but I had a difficult time convincing myself to start reading. There was a lot of suspense, but nothing that really caught my interest and nothing that made me keep reading to find out what would happen next.
I think the primary reason for this is that Wolf's Revenge starts with high stakes and a lot of action and never really stops having action. Each scene, each decision, each moment is life-or-death and there are never moments of Leo doing something mundane or small. Everything has the possibility to change everyone's future in a huge way and it got dull after awhile. If everything is superintense, nothing is intense. The stakes don't matter anymore if they stay ridiculously high the entire time.
I also did not connect with the main character. Leo is, in some ways, a Gary Stu. He is good at everything and is always the only one who can properly handle everything. He has to shoulder every burden on his own and he's the only one who is clever enough to outsmart the bad guys (and win the case). Leo is kind of like a robot as well - he never has an appropriate emotional response to events in his life because he's too cool and so hardcore. That doesn't make a relateable charcter. Especially since I haven't read the previous books, it was difficult for me to really understand why he's the most important character and the only one who can help.
And that leads into my next problem. I haven't read the other books, so there's a lot that wasn't entirely clear - i.e. other characters, past events, etc. However, with the little knowledge that I was given about past events and the importance of various characters, the character deaths in this book felt.....anticlimactic. At one point, Leo hasn't been able to get in touch with a character for a few days, so he goes to their house and finds them dead. He then spends a few pages discussing the death with his brother and then....it's done. It rarely comes up again, even though this is a character that is supposed to be important. The author constantly tells us how upset Leo is instead of using Leo's actions to show how significant this event is. It's lazy writing and it made the characters feel more like props than people.
I probably would have enjoyed this more if I'd read the earlier books in the series, but I don't know if I would have been able to get through 4 more books like this. They're exciting (to a point), but there's no diversity of plot and in the end, it seems like everything was for naught anyway, so it felt like a waste of time.
Recommended to lovers of thrillers and courtroom dramas.
September 18, 2017
The courtroom drama of Wolf's Revenge alone is worth the read, and the plot in this Leo Maxwell series regarding the Aryan Brotherhood was as new to me as the author. The protagonist is an attorney in the Bay Area of California and has inherited a dubious legacy from both his older brother (now handicapped) and his father, now deceased. His clients are not A-List people.
First, I had a difficult time getting through the first two chapters. Way too much explaining how we got here. You have to hang on until he is called in to defend a young woman accused of the murder of an Aryan member.
Suddenly, the protagonist changes from being a storyteller delivering information to being an involved main character, and rather than a spectator, a proactive lawyer with up-to-his-neck involvement.
The protagonist, Leo Maxwell, would rather not take on the case, funded by the AB. (And you're saying, huh?) As the writing style relaxes into intrigue, the dialogue becomes more natural. Easier to visualize the scene and the main characters including the antagonist(s), and there certainly appears no shortage of those.
Leo is torn over how to fully protect his client (never mind the men paying for her defense or why) and his own family.
Who is the good guy here--or is there one? It would appear even the good guys are not. The trial is a struggle, Leo making a dent in testimony only to lose to the next challenge and it's difficult to say which way this jury will go. His client is only 16. Even if he wins the case, how can this have an equitable ending for her?
The narrative evolves into a hold-onto-your-seat climax with an ending you did NOT see coming. I have to say this novel starts out slow. Then, the whole conspiracy turned an interesting direction and I was glad I hung in there. I downloaded this novel from Mystery Press and NetGalley and appreciated very much the opportunity to read and review. Recommended as a legal thriller, crime and mystery, suspense novel.
First, I had a difficult time getting through the first two chapters. Way too much explaining how we got here. You have to hang on until he is called in to defend a young woman accused of the murder of an Aryan member.
Suddenly, the protagonist changes from being a storyteller delivering information to being an involved main character, and rather than a spectator, a proactive lawyer with up-to-his-neck involvement.
The protagonist, Leo Maxwell, would rather not take on the case, funded by the AB. (And you're saying, huh?) As the writing style relaxes into intrigue, the dialogue becomes more natural. Easier to visualize the scene and the main characters including the antagonist(s), and there certainly appears no shortage of those.
Leo is torn over how to fully protect his client (never mind the men paying for her defense or why) and his own family.
Who is the good guy here--or is there one? It would appear even the good guys are not. The trial is a struggle, Leo making a dent in testimony only to lose to the next challenge and it's difficult to say which way this jury will go. His client is only 16. Even if he wins the case, how can this have an equitable ending for her?
The narrative evolves into a hold-onto-your-seat climax with an ending you did NOT see coming. I have to say this novel starts out slow. Then, the whole conspiracy turned an interesting direction and I was glad I hung in there. I downloaded this novel from Mystery Press and NetGalley and appreciated very much the opportunity to read and review. Recommended as a legal thriller, crime and mystery, suspense novel.
January 26, 2018
So this is my first time reading a book in this series. I did have a couple chapters where I had to catch up with the characters but was smooth sailing after. I'm a huge fan of a good thriller/mystery and this one had enough turns to keep you hooked. The story centers around Leo and his case for the Aryan brotherhood. He has no choice but to represent them and his brother and dad work for them too. There is tragedy and plenty of drama. It seems like a good legal/court room drama.
If I had read the other books in turn maybe i would have been more invested but I found myself putting this down too much.
Recommendation: read it if you like more legal dramas and probably in series.
*Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
If I had read the other books in turn maybe i would have been more invested but I found myself putting this down too much.
Recommendation: read it if you like more legal dramas and probably in series.
*Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
October 4, 2017
Stick with this and you'll be rewarded with a good courtroom drama that's also a tale of a twisted legal legacy. You'll ask yourself why on earth Leo doesn't walk away from all the drama and heartache of his family's relationship with the Aryan Brotherhood. Well, it's not that easy. There are long held secrets and lies here. as well as family drama between Leo, his brother Teddy, and his dead father. This one is complex and twisty= the hallmarks of a good legal drama. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. You don't need to have read the earlier books (that's partly why the early going is slow as you are caught up on the action) to enjoy this one. Try it if you like legal thrillers.
October 16, 2017
I hadn't read any of the previous books in this series, but it wasn't necessary for the enjoyment of this book. The book is well-written with interesting characters and story. I can't say any of the characters were especially likeable (ok - Carly was - she was too young to be otherwise), but I felt some sympathy for Leo. He was in a position where he felt forced to defend clients he knew weren't innocent - but he didn't want to risk harm to his family for doing otherwise.
The first half of the book seems a bit slow, but once I got into the rhythm of the narrative and it moved on to the courtroom, it was fascinating
The first half of the book seems a bit slow, but once I got into the rhythm of the narrative and it moved on to the courtroom, it was fascinating
July 4, 2025
It seems attorney Leo Maxwell just can't catch a break. He's been forced to represent Bo Wilder, a gang leader presently service a life sentence and it seems the rest of his gang. While at a baseball game, Maxwell's very young niece Carly is lured away and then slyly returned. The message is clear and Leo gets it, cooperate or your family will suffer. His brain damaged brother Teddy who's the one who got Leo into this in the first place, isn't much help at all.
Leo acquires a new client that he is strongly encouraged to defend. She's not talking, they don't know her identity but there are witnesses to her killing Aryan brotherhood members Randolph Edwards in very cold blood. A defence seems impossible, however, if Leo wants what's left of his family to survive, he needs to find a way. No doubt Wilder's driving the train from prison.
So very dangerous and difficult but Leo's amazing.
Leo acquires a new client that he is strongly encouraged to defend. She's not talking, they don't know her identity but there are witnesses to her killing Aryan brotherhood members Randolph Edwards in very cold blood. A defence seems impossible, however, if Leo wants what's left of his family to survive, he needs to find a way. No doubt Wilder's driving the train from prison.
So very dangerous and difficult but Leo's amazing.
September 13, 2017
Written by Lachlan Smith, I think this might be a sequel to another book.
I just could not get into this book.
This novel follows a lawyer and his handicapped brother, sister in law, and niece who are being threatened by the local kingpin.
This was well written, I just could not get into the story. I wish I could tell you why. It might have a good portion to do with feeling like I was dropped in the middle of the story.
If you enjoy stories of gangsters and the law, you may enjoy this novel.
I just could not get into this book.
This novel follows a lawyer and his handicapped brother, sister in law, and niece who are being threatened by the local kingpin.
This was well written, I just could not get into the story. I wish I could tell you why. It might have a good portion to do with feeling like I was dropped in the middle of the story.
If you enjoy stories of gangsters and the law, you may enjoy this novel.
November 4, 2017
San Francisco attorney Leo Maxwell is coerced by the leader of a prison-based gang into defending a young woman who murdered a member of the Aryan Brotherhood in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighbourhood. The woman is uncooperative so Leo has the challenge to develop a suitable defense for her and to separate himself and his family members from the commitments made years ago by their father to the Brotherhood. This was a riveting read and another exciting book in the Leo Maxwell mystery series.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Grove Atlantic - Mysterious Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
I received an eARC via Netgalley and Grove Atlantic - Mysterious Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.
June 25, 2017
Took me a while to get into as I was getting married. Once I got into this book I couldn't put it down! read from 50% to 100% in one afternoon! Very gripping page turner. Makes you question which side you're on who you believe and I changed my mind soo many times. I had an inkling of how I thought it would as I wasn't far off. I really enjoyed this. The characters really drag you into their life.
May 30, 2018
Not a bad thriller/ lawyer book. Its Bay Area location held my interest and the final showdown near Albany bulb, which I know extremely well, was fun for me. It had low opinions of the FBI, law enforcement and the prison system but seemed to have a higher regard for the the courts in this particular story.
May 26, 2017
An excellent story depicting a very real possibility for our future. The anti hero is depicted brilliantly and the story unfolds in a rational and measured way that leaves you on the edge of your seat. A great story.
June 11, 2017
4.5 Stars Wolf's Revenge is the first book I have read by Lachlan Smith and what a great introduction. The character interaction is believable and the storyline compelling. I definitely look forward to reading more by this author.
I will add to this review closer to release date
I will add to this review closer to release date
March 1, 2018
I did not enjoy this book as much as his previous four books in this series. The development of the court case and the courtroom drama was so-so. The ending was dramatic and increased the rating from two stars to three stars.
March 30, 2018
Intense, confrontational dialogue drives this legal thriller, requiring the reader to focus keenly on the multi-leveled threads of logic which lead, roller-coaster-like, to their respective ends. An amazing read!
December 4, 2017
Well written prose about the mob and the machinations within its ranks. Loved the twist at the end. You don't mess with family!!! I am thrilled to have gotten this book free from goodreads giveaways.
December 23, 2020
You can learn a lot about courtroom procedure and how lawyers think from this one. The outcome is surprising.
January 9, 2026
This was given to me as a freebie and while i can appreciate some of the mystery, i felt massively let down with the way Leo’s story panned out.
October 3, 2017
GNab I received a free electronic copy of this mystery from Netgalley, Lachlan Smith, and Grove Atlantic - Mysterious Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.
This is an interesting mystery, with the Aryan Brotherhood playing an important roll both inside prison and out. We have two generations of lawyers in the San Francisco Bay area, Generation two unable to separate themselves from the Brotherhood and decisions and commitments made years ago by their father. Our protagonists are all damaged in some way and attempting to work and raise generation three without the constant worry of AB retribution as they try to go straight. This is not a make-happy novel, but it is one I am glad to have read.
Pub date Oct 3, 2017
Grove Atlantic, Mysterious Press
This is an interesting mystery, with the Aryan Brotherhood playing an important roll both inside prison and out. We have two generations of lawyers in the San Francisco Bay area, Generation two unable to separate themselves from the Brotherhood and decisions and commitments made years ago by their father. Our protagonists are all damaged in some way and attempting to work and raise generation three without the constant worry of AB retribution as they try to go straight. This is not a make-happy novel, but it is one I am glad to have read.
Pub date Oct 3, 2017
Grove Atlantic, Mysterious Press
baleeted-for-opportunity-cost
October 31, 2017PW Best of 2017: Smith again puts Leo Maxwell through the wringer in his superlative fifth mystery featuring the San Francisco attorney (after 2016’s Panther’s Prey). Newcomers are brought up to speed quickly with Leo’s complex backstory, which includes his discovery of his mother’s bloody corpse, his long-held belief that his father, Lawrence, was responsible for her murder, and the near-fatal shooting of his older brother, Teddy, a prominent defense lawyer. Despite his father’s exoneration, life hasn’t eased up for Leo. He’s beholden to a crafty biker drug lord, Bo Wilder, who manages to wield significant power from prison, arranging the killing of an ex-con who was about to testify that Lawrence murdered his wife. While Leo struggles to find a way out from under Wilder’s thumb, he must defend a client who doesn’t deny shooting the man whose murder she has been charged with. Operating at the top of his game, Smith is as good as anyone writing today at combining a mystery with the overlay of existential dread that noir fans relish.
November 20, 2017
Although I did enjoy this book, i found it to be quite run of the mill lawyer drama.
It's starts promising Enough with the lawyer Leo Maxwell at a baseball game and his niece goes missing. He realises the man that finds her was the one that took her as a warning.
So, this soon turns into lawyer working for the crime boss of the aryan brotherhood or AB, who is running things from prison, maxwell wants out but can't get out.
Throw in the murder case he's supposed to try to get his guilty client off, add kidnappings and threats to his family and it soon turns into a predictable thriller.
Was disappointed there wasn't much backstory on his brothers injuries, we know he was shot but why and by whom.
The end was a bit of a let down, as it doesn't really end. Seems Maxwell can't stop working for the AB and his only choice to once again keep,him and his family safe is to continue. So nothing was actually achieved then.
Didn't really warm to any of the characters.
It's good if you like courtroom drama with an added crime lord twist but it's not for me.
It's starts promising Enough with the lawyer Leo Maxwell at a baseball game and his niece goes missing. He realises the man that finds her was the one that took her as a warning.
So, this soon turns into lawyer working for the crime boss of the aryan brotherhood or AB, who is running things from prison, maxwell wants out but can't get out.
Throw in the murder case he's supposed to try to get his guilty client off, add kidnappings and threats to his family and it soon turns into a predictable thriller.
Was disappointed there wasn't much backstory on his brothers injuries, we know he was shot but why and by whom.
The end was a bit of a let down, as it doesn't really end. Seems Maxwell can't stop working for the AB and his only choice to once again keep,him and his family safe is to continue. So nothing was actually achieved then.
Didn't really warm to any of the characters.
It's good if you like courtroom drama with an added crime lord twist but it's not for me.
September 14, 2018
Wolf’s Revenge is the fifth book in the Leo Maxwell series and tells the story of the lawyer Leo’s attempts to remove himself and his loved ones from entanglement with the sinister Aryan Brotherhood. Operating from within prison, the Brotherhood has chosen Leo to defend a teenager in court who is on trial for a seemingly indefensible murder. As Leo delves deeper into the case, other parties begin to involve themselves, and before long the consequences begin to affect Leo and his family in drastic ways.
Having not read the previous books, it took me a while to get up to speed with all the different characters and their pasts. Although this way did efficiently, it did make the first few chapters tough to get through and left me with less of an emotional attachment then was perhaps required to get the most out of this story. The writing style is clear and readable, although at times overly American. The book uses a lot of lawyer jargon which feels very authentic but a bit mundane. The story is clearly a thriller, with plenty of twists and turns that leave the reader guessing as to the motivations of various shady characters and what is going to occur next.
The main issue I had with this book is the lack of connection to the characters, although this may come from the knowledge of the previous books. The main character Leo is a bit too idealised; often he is the only character who can solve every problem, and he comes across as a bit too cool, which makes him harder to empathise with. Throughout the book, there are a number of deaths, and they are also treated a bit strangely. Leo doesn’t ever seem to react appropriately, and important characters die and are forgotten about remarkably quickly, particularly if these characters have been present in the four previous books as well!
Overall I think this is an interesting book and a good thriller that does offer some suspense. However, I struggled to properly get into it due to slightly one-dimensional characters and a lack of knowledge from the previous books in the series. Personally, I would recommend reading the previous books first, where perhaps the characters are more fleshed out!
Boromir
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
Having not read the previous books, it took me a while to get up to speed with all the different characters and their pasts. Although this way did efficiently, it did make the first few chapters tough to get through and left me with less of an emotional attachment then was perhaps required to get the most out of this story. The writing style is clear and readable, although at times overly American. The book uses a lot of lawyer jargon which feels very authentic but a bit mundane. The story is clearly a thriller, with plenty of twists and turns that leave the reader guessing as to the motivations of various shady characters and what is going to occur next.
The main issue I had with this book is the lack of connection to the characters, although this may come from the knowledge of the previous books. The main character Leo is a bit too idealised; often he is the only character who can solve every problem, and he comes across as a bit too cool, which makes him harder to empathise with. Throughout the book, there are a number of deaths, and they are also treated a bit strangely. Leo doesn’t ever seem to react appropriately, and important characters die and are forgotten about remarkably quickly, particularly if these characters have been present in the four previous books as well!
Overall I think this is an interesting book and a good thriller that does offer some suspense. However, I struggled to properly get into it due to slightly one-dimensional characters and a lack of knowledge from the previous books in the series. Personally, I would recommend reading the previous books first, where perhaps the characters are more fleshed out!
Boromir
Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review
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