But several plot lines swirl around this. Bob's in a loveless marriage with Leanne, who believes she is challenging the spirit of a young slave girl Wanda Grace. Bob uses his position of power and influence to seduce multiple women, blaming his wife for his infidelity. He plots to drive his wife away by introducing a live alligator from the Florida swamps into their garden. Her terror of these animals is linked to a near death experience when she was a mermaid performer at a Florida water park.
Finally, Kathy Baker, is a probation officer, trying to make sure her clients stay within the law, but are also treated equitably by the law. She quickly butts head with the Judge who immediately attempts to sleep with her.
Baker's clients, the Judge's victims and many other amusing characters are set up for a complex story as plots of revenge against Maximum Bob get mixed up with his attempts to drive his wife away. A second major plot line deals with Bakers blooming love affair with a policeman who is trying to understand what is going on.
Maximum Bob deals with a broken justice system, but it is essentially a black comedy. It doesn't have much of an insight into the dark under-belly of the United States, though this is certainly in the back ground. I think it might have been written different in a Black Lives Matter world. There is also an amusing reference to Donald Trump, as one character refers to his wealth and another hasn't heard of him.
Maximum Bob is now is slightly dated, but still an entertaining read and Leonard certainly has an brilliant ability to weave various storylines together and bring them together with a bang. The final sentence certainly hit me hard.
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