Book Reviews

Book Blurb

Money can’t buy happiness. Jacob Nussbaum knows this better than anyone. He's a corporate lawyer deep inside a huge New York firm, where he works overtime, sacrifices any chance at a personal life, and has been selling his soul for years. With a secretary as his only friend, he trudges on, until his whole world is blown apart by a manila envelope of photos—evidence that one of the firm’s partners is the dirtiest lawyer in one hell of a filthy business.

In search of the truth, Jacob travels to a small northern Wisconsin fishing resort. There he meets Ben Anderson, a brutally lonely man, who knocks him off his feet. Ben prompts Jacob to reevaluate his life. He’s a dozen years older than Jacob, still recovering from the death of his long time love, and doesn’t want to leave anyone a widower. But a jaded New Yorker on a soul-searching mission might be just the man to convince the grieving Ben that it's never too late to begin again.

Book Review

If the category workplace mystery - analogous to murder mystery - existed, this book would be a great example of what that looks like. Corruption in governments, large corporations, and even international sports organizations exists and is more or less well known since regular accusations and cases are well covered by the press. I admit that I am not very familiar with law firms and their potential dark machinations, so this book was fascinating for that reason alone. Lawyers are supposed to help uphold the law and make sure justice prevails, but they are also human beings and just as susceptible to crookedness as the rest of us. The other great things about ‘Whistle Blower’ are that it has wonderfully complex characters, an interesting plot with lots of twists, and a moral dilemma that is not easy to solve. Add a deliciously slow-burning romance between two men who are an entirely unlikely match, and I was one happy reader.

Jacob may have reached partner level in his firm and be financially secure, but the price he pays for staying at this level is considerable. Long workweeks, following corporate policy and billing to ensure they make a profit, no personal life, and no friends other than his personal assistant, Seong. He has never really thought about doing anything else, but when the manila envelope arrives with photos of an environmental disaster caused by one of his firm’s multimillion-dollar clients, Jacob’s world begins to unravel. He isn’t sure what is going on at first, but his curiosity is piqued, and he begins to dig for details, ending up in a northern Wisconsin fishing resort during his investigation. The decision he has to make about staying true to himself and doing the right thing by exposing one of his colleagues on the one hand and staying silent to keep his career intact is not an easy one.

Ben is a very different man. About fifteen years older than Jacob, he has lost his lover to cancer and is more than reluctant to start a new relationship. The thought of making someone else go through losing him has stopped him so far. Jacob may be a jaded New Yorker, a city boy on a mission to find the truth, but he gets to Ben in a way that makes it hard for Ben to resist. Opening up and becoming vulnerable (again) is not easy, but Ben is so lonely that I kept hoping he’d be able to let go of his worries and dive in again.

‘Whistle Blower’ is a good mystery about a couple of things. Who keeps sending Jacob information? How corrupt is his boss? Can Jacob uncover it all before it's too late? But it is also a journey for Jacob and Ben - both as individuals and as a couple. Jacob challenges the way Ben thinks about relationships, and Ben prompts Jacob to be honest about what is going on at work and enables him to deal with the mess. The addition of quirky secondary characters like Jacob’s assistant, Seong, and Ben’s sister-in-law, Miriam, provides depth and relief from the tension.

If you like stories about corruption and those who feel a calling to fight it, if a slow-burning romance between men who don’t seem to be a good match are your thing, and if you’re looking for a read that is suspenseful, a little out of the ordinary, and full of emotion and passion, then you will probably like this novel.

 

 

 

 

DISCLAIMER: Books reviewed on this site were usually provided at no cost by the publisher or author. This book has been provided by Dreamspinner Press for the purpose of a review.

Additional Information

Format	ebook and print
Length	Novel, 214 pages/69487 words
Heat Level
Publication Date	05-February-2016
Price	$6.99 ebook, $14.99 paperback, $14.99 bundle
Buy Link	https://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/books/whistle-blower-by-dev-bentham-1233-b