The Maximus Black Files : Mole Hunt by Paul Collins

Ford Street Publishing. ISBN: 978-1921665264.
Out in a galaxy far from the Milky Way, Maximum Black is hard at work in the 'Regis Imperium Mentatis (RIM),' the galactic law enforcement. Maximus is good at his job, really good, but some people are going to get between Maximum and his work. Maximum must find three sets of lost coordinates to rediscover the powerful squadron that had long ago been banished from the universe but it seems that someone is always one step ahead of him and ready to stop him. Anneke Longshadow, another RIM agent, knows there's a mole in the organisation and will do anything to protect the RIM, even if that means putting her life on the line. Anneke must prepare herself to travel great distances to stop the mole from acting out his ultimate goal to replace the galaxy's gate keepers and take control of the whole galaxy.
Mole Hunt is a science fiction novel set in a fictitious galaxy outside of the Milky Way. Collins has created a novel in which the hero of the story is the villain and the villain is really the hero. I enjoyed reading a novel that is told from two different points of views but I felt like I wasn't as connected to the storyline as some other books I have read. This could be because Mole Hunt is the start of a new series and it took awhile establishing the plot. After being introduced to Maximus first, I found myself liking Maximus more than Anneke even though I knew Maximus was the bad character and normally the hero is the likeable character.
I would recommend this novel to older readers due to the scientific words Collins has included. This would be a novel that I would reread and still enjoy reading and I can't wait for the next one in the series to be released.
Lauren Pfeiffer (Student, year 12)