Suddenly, a murderer’s memories force their way into Max Iverson’s mind. Max is horrified and bewildered. Surely this isn’t real!

Max is a private person by nature, isolated from his fellow humans. Now he is forced to know what the worst of them are thinking, and his nights are filled with nightmares.

Even worse, he is drawn into helping the authorities punish the criminals whose thoughts he now knows. He is unaware of the danger this will expose him to. There is a cabal of criminals behind much of the major crime in the city. He didn’t know of their existence, but they become aware of his, and now they are determined to eliminate him.

Max must change from frightened quarry to pitiless hunter. His hunt leads him to the cabal and also to life–changing discoveries about his own history.

‘Cage of Bone’ is an exciting thriller novel written by David Dvorkin that raises the question of would you really want to read other people’s minds if you could. The story is told from the perspective of the protagonist, Max. Max is a forty year old serial under achiever without a trade or any real skills. He is a lonelily man with close friends or family, save for his elderly parents that live in another state. He passes his time by working out and being employed in low skilled and low pay hourly wage jobs.

After getting fired from his latest gig for insulting his boss, Max finds his day suddenly free and he decides to kill time by watching a movie. He suddenly gets visions of the man sitting behind him robbing a gas station and murdering the attendant. It’s all extremely vivid and it disturbs him greatly. He learns the name of this man through the visions and after the movie he calls the district attorney’s office to report a tip to an assistant prosecutor named Grady.

The tip checks out, the man is arrested, and Grady looks great in front of the press. But the visions only intensify for Max every time he is near someone that is a violent criminal. He realizes that he can read their thoughts. His conscience will not allow him to do nothing while these people are free to prey on society and he teams up with Grady to take them down. He provides the leads and evidence while Grady provides the law enforcement.

It’s a happy arrangement at first, until Max’s ambitions grow larger and he wants to take down organized crime and corruption at its highest levels in order to make a real difference in society. But when he decides to go after the bigger fish, he ends up putting everyone he knows in great danger when he encounters people that also have his abilities except they are more skilled with it.

David Dvorkin has crafted what is primarily a highly entertaining thriller that is a real page turner. The character of Max is well fleshed out and through the first person narration, we really get to know this unique individual. His journey is a rabbit hole with each new layer bringing higher stakes at each turn.

If you like fast paced action with a character that has high moral standing then you will definitely enjoy this novel.

Lumberjack, stevedore, merchant seaman, naval officer, spy, cowboy, Texas Ranger, forest ranger, Foreign Legionnaire, premier danseur, mountain guide, prizefighter, parfumier, tightrope walker, astronaut, deep sea diver, sommelier, alligator wrestler… These are just a few of the many jobs David Dvorkin has never had, never will have, and with one exception, never wanted to have.

Dan Kowalski is a novelist and screenwriter based in Virginia. In 2023 his novel ‘Suicide Bridge’ debuted which is going to be followed up with ‘Family Feud’. Several of his screenplays have been optioned by Hollywood production companies with two set to go into production in 2024.