MAXINE SHAW

In this novel, a lawyer gets drawn into a deadly game and turns to her criminal father for help extricating herself.

Maxine Shaw is a successful Black public defender in Cincinnati—as hard-nosed as she is astute. She’s assigned a peculiar case that just doesn’t add up—Mitchell Landing, an honors student at Xavier University, is accused of murdering DaVita Nelson, a close friend. Maxine consults her mentor, Mike Benton, a retired police detective, who furtively searches Mitchell’s apartment and finds a gun legally licensed to him, but not the one used in the commission of the crime. Then, Maxine searches Mitchell’s laptop and finds a link to a strange website that simultaneously warns against entry and invites it. When curiosity gets the better of her, she is informed that she has been enlisted in a deadly game in which she must perform dangerous tasks or risk the death of herself or a loved one. After she shares this information with Mike, he is murdered. Maxine contacts her estranged father, Ernesto, in search of help—he is a career criminal with deep knowledge of the seedy underworld. He warns her that she has been drawn into a battle that originates with a mysterious organization established in the 11th century by English nobleman David Jonathan Kingsley. The group ultimately split into two warring factions, one side representing good and the other evil. Baltimore deftly offers humor throughout the tale—the entire book is written in a lighthearted manner, its principal virtue. But while the story offers a striking and diverse cast of characters, the premise is implausible and melodramatic. The author seems aware of this element; consider this observation by Maxine: “I know this shit sounds all cloak and dagger, but I swear to God I’m glad my father taught me to prepare for the worst. I’ve gotten myself in quite a few fucked up situations in the past, but this...I’m scared to death.” Unfortunately, the novel’s comic relief is not enough to compensate for the tale’s missteps.

A vibrant but uneven thriller involving a terrifying game.