This is less a standard procedural and more a study of unique characters operating in a sort of shadow unit to solve a mystifying string of murders.
The FBIs Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit is a task for of intellectual misfits or genius outcasts who are assigned unusual cases because of their unusual approach. FBI Agent Gardner Camden, an analytical savant with an eidetic memory and a talent for puzzles and patterns, leads the team. He often has difficulty with human empathy, emotions and social graces. Other team members have their own skills and abilities.
In this book, the unit, which is usually relegated to solving cold cases, is thrust tiny the field when a notorious serial killer, long presumed dead, is found murder in a particularly horrendous manner. It seems that there is a vigilante who is targeting other serial killers and who is leaving behind clues and riddles meant for Gardner and his team.
I enjoyed the way that the author rose above the trope of damaged geniuses and introduces a PAR team that is authentic and quirky without just a bunch of eccentrically skilled law enforcement agents. Yes, Camden is clearly neurodivergent even though his analytical prowess is both a professional superpower and a personal disability. He does have emotional struggles as he deals with his beloved mother, his daughter and an exwife in prison. Two other characters, Casssie Pardo (a mathematician) and the weapons expert and sharpshooter, Joanne Harris, add intriguing depth to the team.
Good, complicated plot and a somewhat slow pacing as the killer leads the team with increasing challenges. Then the adrenaline infused action sequences when the reader is reminded that the agents aren’t just cerebral. This is the start of a new series and perfect for fans of character driven crime thrillers who appreciate a complex hero. I look forward to the next book.
I was able to listen to the audiobook while also following along in the e-ebook provided by the publisher. The narrator, Will Damron, excelled at portraying the main character as well as being able to give distinct voices to the other characters in the book. His timing and intonation do well to build the suspense and definitely creates an atmosphere that keeps the reader engaged. I really like his voice and this production enhanced my enjoyment of the book.
This is the debut of a new series. Two books have been contracted. Read in order.
Genre - police procedural, crime thrillers, psychological, murder, serial killers, neurodivergent
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