In this second book in the 'Head Cases' series, a special unit of the
FBI investigates a domestic militia and searches for a serial killer.
The book can be read as a standalone but I'd advise readers to begin
with Head Cases.
*****
The
Pattern and Recognitions (PAR) unit of the FBI, based in Miami,
Florida, is called in for difficult and abstruse cases. PAR agents are
brainiacs with unique abilities, like eidetic memory, math expertise,
etc. The leader of the PAR, who narrates the story, is Agent Gardner
Camden.
Initially,
the PAR agents were confined to office work, studying the evidence and
files from unsolved cases, to look for new clues. Now, PAR personnel go
into the field, where they encounter trouble and life-threatening
danger.
The current members of the PAR are:
✦✦ Gardner Camden - lead agent of the PAR and the book's main protagonist.
Gardner
is a socially awkward 'by the book' agent with an eidetic memory.
Gardner observes about himself: "Riddles. Those are my specialty. That
is, when I am not studying patterns. Or decoding enigmas. Some might say
that solving puzzles is all I'm good for. That leaving my desk in the
FBI to interact with real people is not the best use of my time or
talent. And I would agree with them."
When
Gardner's daughter Camila was a baby, Gardner had his wife Anna sent to
prison for RICO violations. Now Gardner is raising 8-year-old Camila
with the help of his mother-in-law Rosa, who's very angry about Anna.
Gardner's
own mother, a psychiatrist who knew Gardner's mind was different from
other people, brought Gardner up with helpful advice. She would say:
'It's beautiful to be unlike other people; A full life is full of
people, not facts; Never use your intellect as a weapon'; and more. 
Now, Gardner's mother, who has dementia, is in a coma due to an incident in 'Head Cases'.
✦✦ Cassie Pardo - a mathematician.
Cassie
is an expert at what are called imaginary and unknown numbers. Cassie
is often tasked with analyzing crime scenes and finding creative
solutions to difficult problems. Cassie is a dynamo of energy and
frequently uses youthful slang, such as 'dayger' (daytime rager) and 'it
slays'.
Cassie and Gardner have romantic sparks, but their jobs make it difficult to move ahead with a personal relationship.
✦✦ Joanne (Shooter) Harris - a sharpshooter.
Joanne
learned to track from the age of six and to shoot from the age of
eight. Joanne was on the Olympic shooting team before joining the FBI,
and she's a markswoman and ballistics expert who can instinctively trace
the trajectory of a bullet.
Joanne
is the jokester of the PAR team, and can't resist wisecracks and witty
remarks. To demonstrate, Joanne tells Gardner, "I used to date a guy who
worked at the morgue. Eventually he decided it was a dead end job."
✦✦ Richie Brancato - the rookie agent.
Richie
joined the PAR right out of Quantico, partly because his grandfather
used to be the FBI director. Richie has been called a 'nepo agent', but
he's shown he belongs in the PAR because he's brave, confident, and can
pick out important clues from reams of research and data. 
Richie
considers himself "a foodie through and through", and for lunch one
day, Richie buys Minorcan clam chowder for the PAR team. 
*****
As
the story opens, Freddie Pecos - a confidential informant (CI) for the
PAR - has been shot dead. Gardner and Shooter find Freddie's body in his
trailer and search the premises, where they find boxes of bogus debit cards and cash.
.
Freddie
was giving the PAR information about an unemployment scam netting
millions of dollars for a domestic right wing militia run by arms dealer
J.P. Sandoval.
Pecos
revealed that Sandoval was amassing a supply of unmarked weapons with
no serial numbers (ghost guns). These were meant to be used against law
enforcement personnel, the motto being "Kill a cop. Drop the gun. And
walk away."
On
top of that, the PAR lost track of a quarter-million-dollar gun
shipment sent to the militia. It would appear Sandoval is planning a
MAJOR domestic terror attack in the near future.
FBI
director Craig Poulton tells PAR leader Gardner Camden, 'Get a new
CI, find the shipment of guns, and figure out what's going on with the
ghost guns, and do it NOW.'
PAR's
first order of business is to investigate the murder of Freddie Pecos,
and a blurry photo from a Miami ATM machine - showing an unidentified
man speaking to Freddie - is an important clue. In a eureka development,
it turns out the unidentified man is also a serial killer who's been
murdering women in North Florida.
After
this discovery, the PAR has two missions: find the illegal weapons
purchased by the militia, and catch the serial killer. The dual
investigations require PAR agents to fly back and forth between North
Florida and South Florida, drive to towns and cities all over the state,
liaise with a number of sheriffs and police departments, go to
Washington, DC, and more. Along the way there's adventure, danger, and
life-threatening situations.
In
the midst of all this, Gardner also goes home when he can, to be with his daughter Camila. Gardner plays riddle and puzzle games with Camila,
takes her out for ice cream, goes to her science fair, and so on.
The PAR manages to resolve both cases, but there's big trouble along the way.
Author
John McMahon provides picturesque descriptions of Florida, which gives
the book an authentic atmosphere. To illustrate, while Gardner is
driving, he observes, "On my left, was the wide expanse of Florida, home
to endless farms, as well as hundreds of miles of wetlands. The
agriculture included tree nuts and berries, melons, sweet potatoes, and
tobacco. Livestock ranches sold sheep, donkeys, and cattle. Some even
cultivated Christmas trees."
I
enjoyed the book, which is a police procedural and thriller. My major
criticism is that the resolution of the serial killer case seems abrupt
and unlikely. Still, I'd recommend the book to mystery fans, especially
readers who liked 'Head Cases.'
Thanks to Netgalley, John McMahon, and Minotaur Books for an ARC of the novel.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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