Sometimes People Die by Simon Stephenson

 Slow burner of a medical thriller and mystery that asks some tough questions.

An unnamed Scottish doctor finds work at St. Luke's Hospital in east London. He's having a rough go as he is on probation after being suspended for his opioid addiction and theft of drugs. His daily efforts as a hospitalist are largely unrewarded as the sick get sicker and there's never enough money to help everyone. His small group of colleagues is made aware that something more sinister may actually be going on -- someone seems to be murdering the patients.

As much as I really wanted to like this novel, I found it hard to connect with the narrator because, not only was he unnamed, he was a drug addict unwilling to do the work to overcome his situation and largely not paying attention to most of what was going on around him. At times the story line seemed to skip and jump and go off on tangents that really slowed down the forward momentum of the doctor's search for the truth of what happened at St. Luke's. It was interesting, but also the fact that it was set in the 1999 kind of lessened my interest as well as that was a very long time ago. I found this sad and frustrating for the most part and the conclusion was very unsatisfying.

I love a good medical thriller and a complex plot with multidimensional characters and lots of interesting facts and details. This one fell a little short of being all that for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for this e-book ARC to read and review. 

This is a standalone and is not part of a series.

Genre - medical mystery and thriller

Fatal Rounds by Carrie Rubin

 A drama with a medical setting that uses a boxing metaphor.

Liz Larkin is determined to prove that a respected trauma surgeon is intent on doing her harm. She selects the hospital he works at to do her internship and immediately begins her campaign to find out what he's done. Her backstory of a history of mental health issues makes her a very unreliable narrator. I hoped, however, that this was going to make the story unique.

As everyone around her is convinced that Liz is losing it and having some kind of delusional break from reality with her accusations and suspicions, she continues on her mission. When everything ends up exactly as I worried it would, I was extremely disappointed and let down. I didn't like Liz and the whole plot required more suspension of disbelief than I can manage. I was looking for a medical thriller and this was not it. The most interesting aspects of the narrative were the actual details about pathology and disease. I can't recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Indigo Dot Press for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This may be the first in a new series that I won't be continuing.

Genre - drama

Long Gone (Detective Annalisa Vega #2) by Joanna Schaffhausen

 Complicated police procedural and crime thriller featuring Chicago detective Annalisa Vega in the followup to GONE FOR GOOD.

Even more messed up than her personal life, Annalisa's job is also fraught with problems. Nobody on the force likes or trusts her since she turned in her own father, an ex-cop. Now she runs the risk of alienating everyone even further when she's assigned to investigate the murder of a another Chicago detective, Leo Hammond. Apparently Leo Hammond wasn't the great cop that everyone thought he was -- nor were his best buddies.  In addition, Annalisa is looking into a cold case that might also be linked to some malfeasance on Hammond's watch. As always, she goes looking for trouble and it always gets found.

This is a convoluted set of cases where there are multiple suspects with lots of secrets and lies that have gone unexposed for years. The truth is eventually revealed after Annalisa attacks both situations with her usual dogged enthusiasm. The words of her current boss describe Annalisa's character: "...blatant insubordination, legal violations, questionable judgments, and dangerous pursuits." Instead of admiration, Annalisa mostly elicited annoyance. It just seems such a trope that she constantly goes off on her own and puts herself and others in peril. Regardless, the complex investigation yields results and Annalisa doesn't get fired.

Although I did not like this as much as I'd hoped, it provided a couple of hours of entertainment. I am not sure if I will read further installments in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is the second in a series so works best if you have read the first one.

Genre - police procedural, crime thriller

The Final Equinox (Theo Cray and Jessica Blackwood #2) by Andrew Mayne

 A thrilling technomystery that focuses on the possibility of contact from another universe.

Theo Cray is a brilliant computational biologist who is invited by a billionaire to spend some time out in the desert at a super secret research facility. It seems that the highly regarded scientists there claim to have received some sort of signal from outer space. Is an intelligent species trying to contact and  communicate with Earth? Theo shares some of his concerns about the transmissions to his girlfriend, FBI Agent Jessica Blackwood, and she ends up joining him on his adventures as he tries to analyze and investigate the source.

This was quite interesting, but I confess that the theories, science, and math were way over my head even though the author does his best to try to make it relatable on a scale I could understand. I enjoy the duo of Theo and Cray working together and they certainly have the smarts to outwit any adversary. I probably would have liked this a lot more, as I did the first in the series, if it had been a plot that I found a bit more interesting. I admit, I was sort of hoping that there would be aliens and spaceships. In any event, the book was entertaining and I read it over a couple of hours. I would definitely give another installment a chance as enjoy the main characters. I like the author's writing style and I've definitely enjoyed the Underwater Investigation Unit series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this e-book ARC to read and review. 

This is the second in a series featuring the two working together though there are separate series featuring each individually.

Genre - technothriller, mystery, science fiction

Fallout by Carrie Stuart Parks

 A mystery with a heavy Christian theme.

Samantha Williams is living a quiet life when everything is upended after a car crashes into the school where she is working. When her identification disappears along with her purse and all those other important pieces of documentation, she’s left with no where to go until she is offered a place to stay at Clan Firinn along with a woman she met at the accident site. There she meets a hunky PhD, Dustin “Dutch” Van Seters and there is an instant mutual attraction. Before she can focus on romance, however, Samantha needs to figure out if the target is really her and why.

I just was not able to really get into this book and nearly put it aside. The characters seemed banal and insipid and I never felt that the actions of Samantha were believable. The plot was a bit thin and all the connections so hard to find convincing. I should have passed as it just didn’t have what I was looking for in a suspense thriller.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for this e-book ARC to read and review. I see that others liked it a lot more than I did. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - Christian mystery and romance

The Chestnut Man by Soren Sveistrup

 Tense and dark, this suspense thriller will give you chills!

Set in Copenhagen where a serial killer is leaving behind a grisly scene that includes an odd doll made of chestnuts and matchsticks. They are calling him the Chestnut Man. The oddest part facing the police is that there is a fingerprint on the dolls that belongs to a young girl who had gone mussing in the prior year and was presumed dead.

Detectives Thulin and Hess are tasked with the investigation of the brutally murdered at the latest crime sites and the perpetrator has left no clues behind. This complex police procedural will lead them to an old mass homicide that started it all.

I really enjoyed this and it got me out of a slump as I could not bear to put this down. I loved the writing style and the complicated inquiries that the two main characters were involved in. The plot was intricate and the revelations were dangled slowly with all finally coming together in a very satisfying conclusion. The setting helped create the noir atmosphere and I definitely would like to learn more about Thulin and Hess because not much detail about either is related. There are plenty of red herrings to keep the reader guessing and I was pleasantly surprised throughout. I would definitely like to read more books by this author! Highly recommend.

Now I'm ready to see the series on television...

This is, right now, a standalone though I could see the potential of future installments with these characters.

Genre - nordic noir, suspense, police procedural, crime thriller

Back to the Garden by Laurie R. King

 Slow burning mystery thriller that might be the start of a new series.

Inspector Raquel Laing faces a complicated case with a sort of timer countdown. The police have a dying man in custody, The Highwayman, who may give them answers and names for a series of murders dating back 50 years. The intensity and pressure increase when a set of remains is found under the base of a huge statue that is being restored on the Gardener Estate. Could this be another of his victims?

The Gardener Estate, a vast property with a huge mansion and extensive formal gardens, has a long history in California. In the family for generations, it was briefly the site of a commune in the 70s when Rob Gardener inherited but had no interest in claiming material possessions for himself. Now, the  Estate has been lovingly restored to its former glory by a trust and managed by a board that includes one of Rob's cousins. The hippies have been long gone, but the bones indicate that it was one of them.

Told in a then and now format, the narrative introduces many interesting characters. Raquel learns a lot from the archivist on site and the historical records and photographs from the commune era and tries to find any of those who were there in the 70s to get answers. Although it was slow moving, things really start to pick up in the last fourth of the book and all is revealed in a satisfying conclusion. I found it quite interesting and think that there is much to learn about Raquel so wonder if there will be more novels featuring this character. This wasn't an intense, gripping suspense thriller but more a police procedural mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone and not, as yet, part of any series.

Genre - police procedural, mystery thriller

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

 An estranged family gathers for a birthday celebration in this gothic inspired locked room thriller.

The Darkers have not seen much of one another for years, but all agree to come to the remote family mansion, Seaglass, to celebrate Nana's 80th birthday. Sitting on a tidal island that is inaccessible except when the tide is out, the house has been in the family for centuries. All of them have spent a lot of time on this island, and most of that harboring secrets, telling lies, and carrying on in the most hideous ways. All is about to be revealed as the family is trapped during a storm. When they start dying, one by one, the truth is finally revealed.

I rate this 2.5 stars, rounding to 3 for the isolated setting and the gothic ambience. The story was a little bit harder to get behind as it moved slowly with arbitrary time shifts within the narration. I found all of the characters completely unlikable and I was able to suss out the upcoming twists fairly early on. I'm not particular fond of the devices or tricks used by the author and didn't enjoy this book as much as anticipated from reading other reviews.

Thank you to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

Genre - gothic mystery thriller

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

 Fast and funny thriller with a twist of feminine rage.

Four women in their 60s have spent their lives as assassins under the umbrella of an organization that seeks to rid the world of the evil on the planet. Now, they are retiring and on a celebratory luxury cruise when they find out that they've been targeted for elimination. They are not going down without a fight and they intend to show their handlers just what women of a certain age can do.

The characters were a mix of personalities and motivations but their years of working together have cemented their friendship and protectiveness. It was really fun to read a book where all of the main characters were in their golden years and show they still had so much left from their experiences and skill sets. I liked their interactions and the teamwork they used to meet their end goal. I've read and loved several books by this author and, though they are historical fiction, this was a great departure from the usual with this thriller. I like her writing style and her sense of humor making this witty and quite entertaining.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for this e-book ARC to read and review. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - mystery thriller

The Last to Vanish by Megan Miranda

 A beautiful but sinister setting, a town full of secrets. What are they hiding?

Abigail Lovett has worked at The Passage Inn for the past ten years. The little resort is located in the North Carolina mountain town of Cutter's Pass and right off the popular Appalachian trail. The Inn offers many activities for all the tourists who are interested in hiking, camping, and other outdoor pursuits. More recently, however, the town has become infamous for a series of mysterious disappearances of visitors to the area. Seven people have gone missing over the last decade. No trace of any has ever been found. The last to vanish was a journalist, Landon West, who was there to investigate the story. When his brother, Trey, shows up in Cutter's Pass and stays in the room that had been Landon's, things start happening. Will this mystery finally be solved?

This suspense thriller was full of some dubious characters, none that are forthright or talkative about the truth of who saw what when. Everyone seems to be intent on hiding something. The narrator, Abby, is very unreliable and is sort of an outsider who wants to be in. The story moves rather slowly and it builds tension as the reader tries to figure out where this is going and what happened to those people. I was so stoked up for something big that when the revelations come at the very end, I was so disappointed. I mean, that's where this is going?? After all that build up, the conclusion and explanations were a big let down. I would have to say that the setting was the biggest star of the book. I'm not an outdoorsy type myself, but the description made me want to visit the area.

Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - mystery, suspense

Verity by Colleen Hoover

 Fast, dark, disturbing and totally fun thriller.

Are you in a reading slump or just looking for something different in the suspense genre? If you're thinking about this one, just start it already. Don't read anything about it ahead of time so the shocks and twists will surprise you.

I'm not a romance reader and I really don't like graphic sex scenes so I was a bit hesitant about this book though I had heard it was a one-off speculative novel by this author. I know I'm late to the party, but I am so glad I picked it up. I started reading it last evening and had to basically put my life on pause while I devoured it over a couple of hours. It's got some gothic vibes with the gated mansion, handsome husband, and incapacitated wife upstairs.

The premise -- an introverted struggling author gets the opportunity of a lifetime when she is offered a peach of a contract: finish the last 3 novels of a popular series written by Verity Crawford. The poor woman is unable to write them and her publisher thinks that Lowen might be able to pull it off. Since she's basically homeless and broke, Lowen accepts and travels to the Crawford home to examine notes and drafts of the proposed books. The house is lovely but the people inside are broken. Too much tragedy and sadness. The setting is ripe for drama and Lowen gets drawn in quickly, especially after discovering an autobiography hidden away in Verity's office.

A review of a book like this is hard to write without giving anything away. I could not help but enjoy it though I had to do a lot of skimming as I'm not a fan of detailed sex scenes. The characters were all deeply flawed and everything was creepy messy. I liked the writing style and the way the narrative was framed around the autobiography manuscript.

I have no idea how I happened to have this book on my Kindle, but I'm super glad I did.

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - suspense thriller, dark, disturbing, lots of sex scenes

Death Down the Aisle (Lady Eleanor Swift #11) by Verity Bright

 Another entertaining read in this cozy historical mystery series.

In this eleventh installment, Lady Eleanor Swift needs to find out who murdered Daisy Balforth so that her best friend, Constance Grainger, can marry the dashing Lord Peregrine Davencourt. It seems that Peregrine had once promised marriage to Daisy and now she is suing him for breach of promise! Not only is he in trouble for that offense, he's now the main suspect in Daisy's death.

Eleanor and her butler, Clifford, join forces with her beau, Detective Hugh Seldon, to get to the bottom of the situation so that the wedding can go on as planned.

Although Eleanor is an unlikely amateur sleuth given this time period (1920s), she is not an ordinary lady of the manor having come into the title quite late in her life. In her early 30s, she has had some crazy adventures in her past and is now quite fearless -- much to the chagrin of both her butler and her beau. I enjoy her independent sprint, her generous nature, and her sense of humor and wit. This is one of the few series that I continue to follow having tired of so many of the others. I enjoy all the period details and descriptions and the plots are always complicated trying to figure out the whodunit aspect. Can't wait for the next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. Be sure to give it a try and start at the beginning. 

This is #11 in a series that should be read in order.

Genre - cozy historical mystery 1920s

Girl, Forgotten (Andrea Oliver#2) by Karin Slaughter

 Sequel is an absorbing mystery thriller.

I read Pieces of Her and watched the adaptation on Netflix and never quite liked either so I had a bit of trepidation when I saw this sequel. Fortunately, I was pleasantly surprised and enjoyed this a lot more than the first that featured Andrea Oliver. Andrea's character was much more maturely portrayed and I was able to tolerate her behavior and the plot because of that.

The story takes place two years after the events in book one and has a much better premise. Andrea has just completed US Marshal training, her psychopath father is safely behind bars, and her mother is back home and barely in the picture. Shortly after graduation, Andrea is approached by her uncle because her father is going up for parole and everyone is concerned that this time he might actually get it. The  uncle wants Andrea to take an assignment at Longbill Beach, ostensibly to protect a judge who is getting death threats, but really to investigate whether or not Clayton Morrow could have murdered a young, pregnant teenager there when he was in high school. That discovery would definitely prevent his parole.

Told in a dual timeline, one part is the voice of Emily Vaughn who was raped by one of her high school friends and became pregnant. Unable to identify the rapist or name the father of this baby, she tries to do a bit of sleuthing after being shunned by all of the hideous people in the small town of Longbill Beach. She is murdered on the night of Prom and the killer was never apprehended. The second voice is that of Andrea as she arrives in town and starts to look into the events from those 40 years ago and to do her current job with partner Catfish Bible. Met with a wall of silence and the same set of suspects, she also finds that two of them are partners in a successful fava bean company and have a sort of cult thing going on with young female volunteers. So, there's a lot going on in this book, but the author skillfully weaves it together and kept me guessing.

I would have preferred less of the Emily narrative and more focus on Andrea's activities, but it kept my attention and I'm glad I returned for this installment. I suspect there will be another in this series.

Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. I do think it important to have read the first in the series to fully appreciate this one.

This is the second in series and it should be read in order.

Genre - mystery thriller

You're Invited by Amanda Jayatissa

 Fast and fun mystery thriller that will keep you guessing!

I really enjoyed this well-plotted and twisty tale of a Sri Lankan wedding gone wrong. From the start, when Amaya decides to attend her former best friend's celebration, the narrative is such that the reader can't wait to read more to find out what exactly is going on. Told from several points of view in a bit of a time shift fashion, it also includes excepts from interviews done by the investigation team.

Amaya and Kaavi used to be as close as sisters but they stopped all contact years ago so Amaya is quite surprised to get an invite to the social event of the season in Sri Lanka where they grew up together. The kicker that gets her on the plane back home is that Kaavi is marrying Spencer, Amaya's old boyfriend from their college days. This can't happen and Amaya is determined to stop the wedding. Everything comes to a head during the days of preparation and, when Kaavi is missing on the big day, all the clues point to Amaya being responsible.

Half the time while reading I was not sure what was going on. So many secrets and lies and manipulations behind the scenes. I loved it! Amaya seemed a jealous, self-harming, psycho mess but she was certainly resolute. Kaavi, the indulged princess of her wealthy family, appeared to be set on the marriage, and her parents and sister were leading her through all the festivities with a dogged purpose. But when things started to go awry, everything exploded in a spectacular fashion. What a great ending. I hope you like it as much as I did.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. 

This is a standalone and not part of any series.

Genre - mystery thriller set in Sri Lanka

The Sleepless by Victor Manibo

 Unique and absorbing science fiction thriller.

When the global pandemic struck in 2033, the panic and confusion it created started a massive world shift. The condition did not actively kill -- it produced sleeplessness. Since no one understood where it came from or the vector or the mode of transmission, those affected were hauled to quarantine as scientists scrambled for answers. Things settled down in the ensuing decade, but Jamie Vega is a bit envious of those who are now sleepless. They have a lot more time in their lives to work, to pursue all sorts of hobbies or talents. The lure of becoming sleepless makes Jamie do something really daring.

Jamie is now finally sleepless and working as a journalist for a huge media company in the midst of a corporate takeover. He's living his best life and doing hard core investigative journalism when he finds his mentor, Simon Parrish, dead in the office right before a big board vote. Not believing in the line that this was a suicide, Jamie gets caught up in something that changes everything he believed about hyperinsomnia and has to face the consequences of how what he did was more than dangerous.

This was so much fun and I really enjoyed it. The character of Jamie is well-developed and certainly an unusual protagonist. I do not understand the emphasis in advertising the book about it being queer genre as that is such a small part of the narrative that it was inconsequential to any part of the story and certainly should need keep anyone from picking up this book to read. The science fiction part, the condition of hyperinsomnia or sleeplessness, was quite an interesting theme to explore with how all of those with it must consume so many resources and how they count time. It gave me lots to ponder and the plot, though a bit typical with good vs evil and someone being tasked to save the world, was entertaining. I liked the author's writing style and the story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Erewhon Publishing for the e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - science fiction, future, mystery thriller

Miss Aldridge Regrets by Louise Hare

 Historical mystery aboard the Queen Mary bound to New York in 1936.

Lena Aldridge aspires to a life on the stage so she jumps at the chance to travel to New York when Charlie Bacon offers her a job on Broadway and a first class cabin on the Queen Mary. Let's just say that she is leaving London under a bit of a cloud so she does not ask the right questions when she accepts this opportunity from a stranger who claims to be there at the behest of an old friend of her recently deceased father. Once aboard the ship, she meets an upper class family that is traveling together and, although she is mixed race, Lena allows others to believe she is Italian. Not that they really pay much attention to her as they have enough drama among them. Soon enough there's a murder and Lena has no idea whom to trust.

This was an entertaining read but I especially enjoyed the historical and period details more than the plot. The timeline jumps between events that transpired in London and those that happen on the ship. Mostly told from Lena's point of view, there is, however, another character whose narrative informs that they know what is going on and why with a very elaborate plan. The character of Lena is tolerable, but she did not capture my interest as she seemed very shallow and immature. The secondary cast personified all the types that you might find on a ship during that time period doing all the things that would be normal behavior for them. Casual drug use, alcohol, sexual trysts, and smoking combine with the class dynamics between the upper and lower deck people. I just never really became totally convinced by their authenticity enough to care about any of them. I had already figured out the mind behind the intrigue so the reveal was no surprise.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Books for this e-book ARC to read and review.

This is a standalone at present and not part of a series.

Genre - historical mystery 1936

All the Living and the Dead: From Embalmers to Executioners, an Exploration of the People Who Have Made Death Their Life's Work by Hayley Campbell

 Superb nonfiction that will make you examine everything you think about death.

I don't read a lot of nonfiction, but usually find one or two books a year that entice me and I was quite surprised to have found this. The timing is spot on as the world enters a sort of recovery post Covid pandemic and during this period as there are new and looming threats to our health and well-being.

I'm no stranger to death. As an RN for over for over 40 years, I've seen quite enough of it, but honestly never thought too much about what happens after I have cared for the deceased or escorted them to the morgue. I've nursed the dying at work and at home. I've attended far too many funerals and grieved losses. I must say, however, that I never peered behind the curtain or had any conversations with the workers that the author interviewed for this book.

Not sure if this exploration is for everyone, but the stories and the thought-provoking detail will linger in my psyche for a long time. The discussions and research were both fascinating and disturbing though I was left with a larger understanding as I learned about the reasons why some have a calling to do the jobs they do.

A memorable quote: "Show me the manner in which a nation cares for its dead and I will measure with mathematical exactness, the tender mercy of its people, their respect for the law of the land and their loyalty to high ideals." William Gladstone (1809-1898)

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-book to read, review, and recommend. 

This is a standalone and is not part of any series.

Genre - nonfiction, philosophy and cultural crticism

Under Pressure (Lucas Page #2) by Robert Pobi

 The second in this thrilling series finds Lucas once again helping the FBI as New York City is rocked by a series of horrific explosions.

The first hint that NYC is under siege occurs when a detonation and conflagration at the Guggenheim Museum results in over 700 casualties. Further explosions rock the city and every available resource is needed to analyze the situation. The SAIC of Manhattan, Brett Kehoe, knows that Lucas Page is the man he needs. So many deaths in such intricately planned bombs. Who is behind this and what is the motive?

Lucas Page is quite the protagonist and is uniquely positioned to be able to sift through massive amounts of data with his gifted mathematical mind. He's a survivor -- a near death event cost him a leg, an arm, and one eye. Evidence points to a very diabolical plot, but the public is quite quick to want to attach blame to conspiracy theorists and lunatic fringe factions. Lucas puts himself right in the middle of the action and the danger as he pits himself against a vast amount of unknown entities.

Again, this is masterful plotting with lots of action and a high body count. Lucas is a very interesting character and there is a lot going on his head. He's antisocial, does not suffer fools, and thinks rings around everyone else as he's always the smartest person in the room. Every other character in the books is basically a foil for him and not typically fleshed out beyond the basic details, but it works in this series. I've read all 3 of them not, not in the correct order, but I am really looking forward to the fourth installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend. I had hoped that eventually this would manifest as as film or series adaptation, but it seems the author is not interested in the movie business. 

This is the second in a series that should be read in order.

Genre - action suspense thriller

City of Windows (Lucas page #1) by Robert Pobi

 Exciting start to a new series!

It is frigid and snowing like mad in New York City when an FBI agent is killed by a single bullet while driving down a busy street. When the logistics prove difficult and the investigation hampered, the head of the local FBI office, Brett Kehoe, calls in Lucas Page.

This is the first book in a very action packed and clever series. I had read the third installment before realizing that Lucas had appeared in two previous novels so had to go back to the beginning as I enjoyed it so much. Lucas is a very interesting character -- missing one arm, a leg, and an eye, he has some crazy skills in mathematical analysis that make him the person for the impossible jobs. He's also not got much of a social personality and does not suffer fools. He left the FBI after the accident that disabled him and has started over as a professor at a local university and a bestselling author. He's married to Erin and they have adopted 5 children so he really has no interest in helping until he is told that the casualty was his former partner. Unfortunately, the sniper is not finished and when the additional victims are also found to be associated with law enforcement, Lucas must use all his skills to figure out the killer's identity and motive. The stakes are raised when Lucas's own family is targeted.

I really like the writing style and the way the investigation details are related. The only irritant was that I could not really find a reason for Lucas's family to be twice involved in life-threatening situations as neither incident made any logical sense. The investigation is complicated and requires meticulous examination of redacted files and a historic tragedy that lends to a revenge motive and an unlikely suspect. There is some political editorializing in the narrative that may be off-putting to some readers. Despite those vexations, I do want to find out more about Lucas Page as his backstory is revealed and plan to read his second in this series next.

I would recommend these books and would love to see as a television program.

This is the first in a series that is best read in order.

Genre - suspense thriller

Do No Harm (Lucas Page #3) by Robert Pobi

 Don't miss this clever, action-packed suspense thriller.

Lucas Page is unlike most modern day serial killer hunters. His expertise lies in his ability to assess and analyze patterns that has the FBI asking for his help time and again when they are faced with unique situations. He's married to Erin, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon, and they've adopted 5 children and live in Manhattan where he also teaches, writes books, and tries to avoid people as much as he can. Lucas used to work for the FBI but left when he ended up with catastrophic injuries while working a case. He's outfitted with prosthetics and a fake eye that makes his appearance even more formidable than his personality. Because he's a complex package and his mind is always "on", he notices that quite a few colleagues of Erin's have died recently. A lot of them -- and in unusual circumstances that look like accidents and suicide. These coincidences appear random, but Lucas can't help but analyze what seems like murder to him. It takes a bit of convincing, but soon the NYPD and the FBI have joined Lucas in the hunt for a very elusive type of psychopath.

Although this is the 3rd in a series and I have not read the previous two (I will remedy that shortly), I had no difficulty jumping right in to the case. The author gives enough details in backstory to provide a frame of reference for the character that is Lucas Page. I was hooked in the first chapter and could not turn the pages fast enough as I read this in a single sitting last evening. The author dangles clues and red herrings that had me guessing with heart racing tension as it sped to the revelations and conclusion. I really liked all the characters in this book and can't wait to read more about them. It's so wonderful to discover an author who is new to you and to totally enjoy a favorite genre with such a unique and intelligent protagonist. I enjoyed the action and the writing style, all the while imagining this novel on the big screen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur/St. Martin's Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and highly recommend. 

This is the third in a series. I did not read the previous two before this but plan to do so now.

Genre - suspense thriller, clever and unique protagonist, police procedural, FBI