Official Review: Maxwell's Silver Hammer by Eric Safflind

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Official Review: Maxwell's Silver Hammer by Eric Safflind

Post by Twylla »

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" by Eric Safflind.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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The Kahler Files #5: Maxwell’s Silver Hammer by Eric Safflind is the fifth book in the Kahler Files series, but Maxwell’s Silver Hammer can be read as a stand-alone novel. Adrian Kahler is a 64-year-old retired psychologist who runs a security consulting firm, Investigation Services, Inc. He has two associates, Stanley Egor, a former Navy Seal and Pro Wrestler, and Barry Sandler, a 29-year-old empath with attention deficit disorder. The three men work investigative cases for domestic and foreign governments. The mission of the investigative team is to prevent Iran from launching a nuclear missile at Israel.

Dr. Ethan Blake is a genius who has been hired by Goddard Space Flight Center to make crystals that are used on weaponized surveillance satellites. The United States is depending on a laser-armed surveillance satellite to destroy an Iranian missile as it launches. But for some reason, the crystals are no longer being produced in Ethan's lab. Adrian Kahler was hired to find out why and get the crystal production process in the lab back on track before Iran launches the missile at Israel.

Dr. Alex Blake is Ethan’s 29-year-old sister. The Shelby GT-500 mustang convertible Alex was driving exploded at a stoplight. Barry Sandler rescued her from the burning car. From that point on, someone was constantly targeting Alex or Barry or possibly both of them.

Alex and Barry were not fond of each other at first, but their relationship soon developed into a full-blown love affair. Cheating death day after day tends to bond people, but the turning point was when Alex finally revealed a trauma from her past. Barry's love for her began a healing process that was long overdue in her life.

A high point of the story for me was her lecture on Shakespeare at Georgetown University. Alex suggested that William Shakespeare may have been a woman. That statement triggered an angry reaction from one of the male professors who loved Shakespeare more than he loved women. Alex Blake loved to push people's buttons. She couldn't help herself.

I enjoyed the paranormal aspects of the story. Some of the characters had gifts of ESP, empathic abilities, and psychokinesis that were intelligently woven into the plot.

I liked the way the Beatles song, “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” was cleverly worked into the storyline. The “Hammer” was another name for the surveillance satellites once they were weaponized with the lasers.

The realistic details in the book gave depth to the story and the characters. The processes for manufacturing crystals, Alex's work in computational linguistics, the details about the Goddard Space Flight Center, paranormal abilities, and the background information on Shakespeare must have required an enormous amount of research.

This book was expertly written and professionally edited. I didn't find any errors. I can't name one thing I didn't like about this book. I am giving Maxwell's Silver Hammer a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I would recommend Maxwell's Silver Hammer to anyone who likes a smart scientific adventure. I am planning to read the first four books in the Kahler Files series, and I will follow this author in the future. Readers should be aware that there are graphic sex scenes, so this book is for adults only.

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Maxwell's Silver Hammer
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Eutoc
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Post by Eutoc »

Science fiction with a tinge of love, this would be beautiful. Tho I haven't read any book from the series, I this particular book has hooked me with the series.
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.

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Post by Ada Ling »

This will be a great read. Thank you for the review!
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Post by Bertha Jackson »

This sounds like a very good book. Thank you for your review.
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NetMassimo
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Post by NetMassimo »

This novel seems to have an interesting mix of plot elements and characters. I'll look into this series. Thank you for your great review!
Ciao :)
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Post by Tonze »

I am attracted by your review, the way you described the book story makes me want to read the full story. I am curious to know why the lab was not doing what it was meant to do. And I want to know if their mission to stop the missile has been successful. Thanks for the insightful review.
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Post by Pearl Akpan »

all i needed to be hooked to this book is that it could be read as a stand alone novel. i love independent books and i’m obsessed with sci fi. thank you for a wonderful review!
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