Boysie Blake is a problem solver and he doesn’t discriminate. A former boxing champion, London transplant and pub owner Boysie is a tough guy with a blunt way about him. In Boysie Blake: Problem Solver, we follow Blake as he navigates the murky and sometimes dangerous waters of life in Hollywood. His stepfather drowned under suspicious circumstances shortly after a real estate deal went sideways and that is just the beginning. There’s an art dealer with an ex-husband that wants to see Boysie take his last breath, a 3-D printed faux masterpiece and a May-December romance manages to blossom in the midst of the mayhem. Max Myers has written a riveting story complete with gangsters, art dealers, a downtrodden detective, the Vatican and a movie script.

The story Max Myers has penned is a unique telling of the old gangster films. There are several different story lines happening at once and, of course, they all converge into one eventually which gives the reader a lot to remember and plenty of action to enjoy. He does a good job of painting the hot Hollywood days with him and Celeste eating up the freeway, traipsing from one end of Southern California to the next. Boysie Blake: Problem Solver also features some very memorable characters including his demanding mum, the alcohol-loving priest, and the wannabe gangster, Jack Valentine. At times it feels as though too much is happening, but there is enough action to offset that feeling most of the time. This is a stylized story with many elements to enjoy, from art fraud to gangsters, religious cover ups and crazy family dynamics.

Boysie Blake: Problem Solver is a thriller written by Max Myers. Boysie owns a hotel in Santa Monica and is the co-owner of a successful English pub with his mother and brother, Harry. When he's not working out, driving around in Celeste, his vintage E-type Jaguar, or hanging out in the pub, Boysie solves problems for people who've exhausted all their other options. His mother has asked for his help with two problems, and his investigations into them are causing him and everyone around him a lot of grief. First, she's asked him to look into the suspicious drowning death of his stepfather, Michael. Michael was an avid and skilled surfer, who was found dead in a cove where board surfing is illegal and where there aren't any waves suitable for surfing. The other problem is for Marjorie, her best friend. Marjorie was the go-between for the purchase of a newly discovered Jackson Pollack, which has since been declared a forgery.

Max Myers' thriller, Boysie Blake: Problem Solver, is fast-paced, exciting and action-packed. Boysie is a marvelous character who suffers a demanding and unpleasant mother and an alcoholic brother with saintly patience that only occasionally gives way to flashes of irritation. Myers' main character is complex, idealistic and very believable. The story-line is well-developed, and I quickly was immersed in, and thoroughly enjoying, the story. The California coastal setting for Boysie Blake: Problem Solver is inspired; you can almost see the sun setting on the Pacific and hear Celeste roar as Boysie travels down the Pacific Coast Highway. Boysie Blake: Problem Solver has just about every ingredient necessary to give a thriller zing: action, conspiracies, art fraud and black ops operatives. My only complaint would be that, since reading this book, I've developed an insatiable urge for shepherd's pie, fish and chips, and pints of ale. I'm hoping that Myers brings Boysie back in a sequel to Boysie Blake: Problem Solver. This book is marvelous and is most highly recommended.