When the Devil Whistles Book

WHEN THE DEVIL WHISTLES, by Rick Acker, is a great legal thriller rooted and realism and carried by interesting characters and fascinating twists and turns.

Connor Norman is the rich son of an ex-Senator and a partner in a law firm where he specializes in Qui Tam plaintiffs. These are whistleblowers who sue on behalf of the government, and get a cut of whatever the government recovers from the corporations committing fraud. Allie Whitman is the temp accountant that goes from corporation to corporation as an undercover whistleblower. She and Connor are friends only. Company policy forbids him from dating clients, and besides, Allie has a wannabe rocker boyfriend.

Trouble strikes when Allie's boyfriend gets in legal trouble, and Allie gets blackmailed into a situation that threatens her life. One of the companies Allie works for is involved in salvaging lost vessells at sea and looking for treasure. This company employs armed guards, and employees that ask too many questions are threatened. When Allie gets into too deep, her troubles begin.

Allie is a great character, a woman with a troubled past and a good heart who still struggles to make the right choices. I enjoyed her relationship with Connor, and could tell they longed to be together, but couldn't because of his work and her boyfriend. The momentum of their relationship stops midway through the novel, however, so that was a little disappointing, but it picks back up at the end.

I really enjoyed the realism of the legal aspects of the novel. Rick Acker is basically writing about the law he deals with in real life, and he makes it really interesting. Acker is an author I will continue to read. He creates good characters, solid supsense, and this book was a true page turner.