Doing Max Vinyl, by Frederick Lee Brooke

Max Vinyl seems to have it all, a successful business, financial stability, an entire fleet of hot cars, and an even hotter girlfriend.  But Max made the mistake of finding that girlfriend from his employees.  When she loses her job for trying to expose corruption in the business, she dumps Max, and proceeds to make his life hell.  Add into this mix other bumbling employees who mess with the wrong veteran, and you have the makings of a nightmare for good old Max.

The best word I can use to explain this story is multifaceted.  There are so many layers to this plot, it was hard for me to sum it up in one paragraph, without giving spoilers or confusing people.  First off, let me describe the interesting and complex characters the author has created.  Of course, we have good old Max, who is a total slimeball, but you just cannot help to kind of like him.  He is amazingly unaware of his own weaknesses, which makes him such an easy plaything for his ex, Tris.  Tris was a little more complex; although she seems to delight in making Max's life miserable, I think she really did care for him, and is angry at herself for that.  The bumbling employees may just be my favorite characters, and their substory the best part of this book.  They are also the reason we get to meet the book's heroine, Annie.  I really liked Annie, and wish we saw a little more of her in the book.

As I said, the plot has many layers.  You have Max's business, which is a big scam, as well as his various relationships, stolen merchandise, shakedowns, breakups, messy divorces, accidental homicides.  See, there really is so much going on.  Which made for a fantastically complex and interesting book.  Not one time did the story lag, not one time did the multiple storylines get confusing, and not one time was the writing predictable.

I cannot say enough great thinks about this book.  Instead, I will simply say, read it for yourself.

I received a review copy courtesy of the author in exchange for my honest review.

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