Acts of Nature (Max Freeman #5)

Craving some quiet time together, Max Freeman and Detective Sherry Richards retreat to Max’s secluded shack deep in the Florida Everglades. No television. No cell phones. No neighbors. It’s a perfect and much-needed escape from the daily grind. But when a violent hurricane rips through South Florida obliterating everything in its path, Max and Sherry’s peaceful getaway turns into a desperate fight for survival. And the hurricane is only the beginning of the nightmare.

With Sherry severely injured and no way to call for help, the couple begins a treacherous trek back to civilization, only to find that the hurricane’s devastation is the least of their worries. In the wake of the storm, the isolation they originally sought soon becomes deadly as undesirables invade the Glades. Some have come to profit from the destruction and loot what remains, while others will stop at nothing to protect secrets. All are willing to kill to get what they came for, and Max and Sherry are smack in the line of fire.

“Jonathon King writes with the eye of a reporter, the instincts of a cop, and the heart of a champion.” - T. Jefferson Parker, bestselling author of Storm Runners

Publishers Weekly

King delivers suspense in spades in this gritty entry to the Max Freeman series. Max, King's ex-cop now private eye, and his girlfriend, Det. Sherry Richards, are taking some time off to relax at a friend's fishing cabin, located deep in the Florida Everglades. Plans for a romantic getaway are interrupted by the vicious onslaught of a hurricane that devastates the cabin and everything around it. As Max and a severely injured Sherry fight for survival while they try to return to civilization, two ruthless groups of men are converging on their location. Foster's reading keeps the tension taunt as he expertly follows King's shifting points of view; whether it's Max's earnest first-person narrative, a pragmatic corporate mercenary or an opportunistic old swamp rat and his slacker followers, Foster manages to give each individual an authentic natural delivery. He does falter a bit with his interpretation of the slackers that, though rendered with exuberance, is often over the top. Still, a small quibble with an overall fine performance. Simultaneous release with the Dutton hardcover (Reviews, June 18). (Aug.)

Jonathon King is the author of five critically acclaimed, award-winning novels, including The Blue Edge of Midnight, an Edgar Award winner, and Eye of Vengeance. His novels have been published all over the world, including the UK, Germany, France, Finland, Japan, Portugal, and the Netherlands. He lives in Florida.