When the Devil Whistles

I liked this book pretty well. It was a quick, light read. I haven’t read many legal thrillers, so I enjoyed reading something that was a little different from my usual genres. The plot wasn’t particularly complex or thought-provoking, but it was quite interesting.

I liked the characters, but sometimes I was annoyed by the decisions they made. Occasionally it felt like they made bad decisions just to increase the drama of the story rather than because their decisions made logical sense. On the other hand, sometimes I feel the same way about people in real life, so I guess this wasn’t unrealistic.

Although this book seems to be classified as Christian fiction, don’t let that turn you off if you prefer to avoid religion-based books. show more I noticed very little content that I would consider to be Christian-specific and I would never have considered it to be a Christian book if I hadn’t seen that it was tagged that way. There is some discussion of morality, but concerns about morality are hardly limited to Christians. show less

I am slowly making my way through the many books I have downloaded on my Kindle. It is hard to resist a bargain, but I have so many I am not sure I will ever be able to read them all! To whittle the pile down, I am randomly choosing books. I just finished When The Devil Whistles by Rick Acker. A legal suspense/international thriller, the book was just the ticket for a fast-paced escape novel.

Allie Whitman is a professional whistle blower who, through her company Devil to Pay, provides the California Department of Justice with evidence on companies that cheat in their state contracts. Her attorney, Connor Norman, loves helping Allie bring down corrupt businessmen. But Allie gets in over her head when her cover is blown and she is show more blackmailed into investigating a marine salvage and construction contractor. What starts as a look into some cooked books becomes a deadly game involving foreign governments and terror plots.

As a legal suspense novel, When The Devil Whistles follows a standard formula, but Acker diverts from the expected when he introduces terrorists, nuclear weapons and a twisting plot that has the reader guessing. Yes, the plot is a bit implausible (how does the US government not know there is a Soviet-era nuclear sub on the bottom of the sea floor off the west coast?), but it is not so different from action adventures so popular in theaters. I liked the twisting action and I liked the characters. I took the plot devices at face value and just went with the story. The biggest negative in many of the reviews I read was that the book was blatantly Christian, which annoyed or disgusted some of its detractors. What I found was a book with some Christian characters and others not. The Christians were never preachy. In fact their faith was exhibited in natural ways — they prayed or spoke of God’s help. I would say the message portrayed was subtle.

When The Devil Whistles was a fun, quick read and I would definitely read another by Acker.

Recommended. show less

This book was a very quick read for me! Finished in 3 sittings! The premise intrigued me into buying the book. Found the characters interesting yet flawed. To me that was a good thing because it made them more believable. The premise was interesting yet seemed far fetched, but the moral and ethical dilemmas that they encountered throughout the book were interesting and thought provoking. When compared to Grisham on the back cover, I thought this would be gifted to John Z, but now am thinking that it would be better suited to Jackie K.

Update: I just realized that this book reminds me of a Jodi Picoult novel. Covers an issue and makes you think about it long after you read the last page.

When the Devil Whistles by Rick Acker has a strong message to tell. The plot revolves around what it means to be a person of good character, living what you believe and making things right when you have done wrong.

Conner Norman is an honest, ethical lawyer. He believes that you should always do right, and if you break the law – you pay the price. His friend Allie works through a temp agency to infiltrate companies suspected of defrauding the government. Together they try to bring the crooks to justice. Allie has problems her own, and Conner learns that she may not be the person of character he thought.

I enjoyed reading this legal drama and the unique story of the very lucrative business of a whistle-blower. The importance of honesty, show more ethical behavior and restoration is evident throughout this exciting story. They fight for justice and at times, their lives.

Thank you to Netgalley.com for an e-copy of When the Devil Whistles. show less

Disappointing. Really interesting premise, badly told. Someone compared Acker to Sandford of the Prey series - well he is no John Sandford who has an impeccable ear for dialogue and great characters. Instead this is a B - version, not quite as crisp or clear, not quite as clever or engaging. I actually started to skim, and found the ending just ludicrous. I didn't particularly care about either Allie or Connor and could only bear it as a kindle freebee. I see you need to pay for it now, I wouldn't bother.

This was a free book from Amazon. The book was good, more like average. It never got too boring with details about accounting and the story line and the characters held up nicely. I gave it 3 Stars because it was good, not great or extraordinary, but average good.

Allie Whitman is a professional whistleblower with a knack for sniffing out fraud in government contracts. Conner Norman is a gifted litigator and together they form Devil to Pay, Inc., a shell corporation that files lawsuits based on Allies investigations. They soon find themselves fighting potentially fatal battles in and out of the courtroom, going great lengths to protect secrets that could ruin them both.
*I enjoyed this book. Can't wait for Rick to write another one.*