This is the first in a new series about FBI special agent and forensic artist Sydney Fitzpatrick, written by Burcell, herself an FBI-trained forensic artist. A somewhat better tale than Burcell’s The Dark Hour which I recently reviewed, this novel focuses on Fitzpatrick’s personal crisis over whether to follow up on brand-new clues about her father’s murder 20 years earlier, or to leave it alone. Of course, had she left it alone, we would have no story, so…. There is a race against time, as […]
Fast-paced conspiracy thriller — not exactly Bourne quality
The favorite subject of political thriller authors nowadays is high-level global conspirators buried within the US government, and The Dark Hour is unfortunately a rather cliche example. This time the conspirators, who all seem to share a disdain for the common man and an ability to use murder with impunity on behalf of their ill-defined cause, call themselves “The Network,” and they go back generations, are all wealthy, powerful, and nefarious, and guaranteed to get caught in the end. In The Dark Hour, they are […]
Perfect Spy Thriller
A Cold-War spy thriller, written to perfection by the master of spy thrillers. Rocket scientist Claude Lucas wakes up in a Union Station men’s room with no clue as to who he is or how he got there. He is hung over and dressed like a bum, and a fellow bum reassures him that he was on a total bender. As he tries to figure out his identity, he discovers multiple skills that suggest he is no ordinary derelict. People start following him, and little […]