The Rook by Steven James

Reviewed By Nike Chillemi –

FBI agent Patrick Bowers is an environmental criminologist who specializes in the use of spacial factors to hunt criminals who commit major serial crimes. He’s been called to assist the San Diego police investigate a series of seventeen unusual fires. This is the second book in the Patrick Bowers series. The first one was THE PAWN.

What Bowers discovers is a well-orchestrated plot to steal a new top-secret prototype for a new weapon the navy is working on. The planned use for this weapon, explained later in the story, is a mind boggler. This novel examines an area that the author delights in exploring: who are the good guys and who are the bad guys…and what does it take to make a good guy go bad?

A mastermind fiend named Shade has recruited an equally evil ex-con named Creighton Melice to help pull off his grand scheme. But what do they have to do with Project Rukh? This novel is chock full of violence and there’s no shortage of evil, although it’s not as gory as the first book in the series. The plot has a lot of twists and turns and covers a wide spectrum: from the inner city homeless population, to kidnap, to a rare disease, to spiders, to sharks.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Agent Bowers is struggling to be a father to his moody teenage stepdaughter. To further complicate this relationship, Tessa’s intelligence quotient is way higher than Patrick’s. So he not only has a smarmy kid to deal with, she’s also a lot smarter than he is, but has little practical experience or common sense. There were times I wished Tessa would just go away…not leave the novel. It’s just that she reminded me too much of my own at times whiny and annoying fourteen year-old daughter. Just a mom being honest here.

Add into the mix, a budding relationship with Agent Lien-hua Jiang a profiler Bowers often spars with professionally. In this novel, they must work together to save a exquisite young woman Creighton Melice has kidnapped and is torturing in the most diabolical manner. Time is short if they plan to save the beauty’s life.

This is a high-paced suspense, plot-driven story and the ride is terrifying at times. The Patrick Bowers character is the most sympathetic and the easiest to bond with but I can’t say I absolutely loved him. He’s interesting and I liked seeing his mind work on the case. The relationship between Patrick and Lien-hua to my mind lacked passion. When she’s in danger, of course he sets out to save her, but I was confused by how desperate and driven he became. I thought where did these deep feelings come from?

If I didn’t already know, would I be able to tell Steven James is a Christian author? Yes, I think so, but the Christian message is very subtle, a fine thread woven throughout as Bowers struggles to figure out the meaning of life and come to terms with evil.

Come The Shadows by Wendy L. Young

Reviewed By Nike Chillemi

Officer Will Harmon is called out to a homicide at the abandoned bread factory in Campbell Creek, NC. When he gets to the scene (with Rookie cop Ricky Rogers along) he’s immediately challenged by Officer Michael Peterson, a very territorial colleague.

When the sheriff and mayor declare the death to be accidental one day before the medical examiner is due to make her report, Will knows something smells bad. The ME is Will’s sister and she tells him she’s being pressured to declare the death inconclusive, but she’s sure it’s murder due to high levels of cyanide in the tissue. She caves in to the pressure to save her job and the case is officially closed.

I liked the Will Harmon character from the get go. He’s afraid there might be corruption within the police department and the mayor’s office and he’s determined to fight to preserve the way of life of his town and to protect his family. However, he’s got one little problem. Police Chief David Lanier is his wife’s brother. He is investigating family, albeit extended family. However, his easygoing personality gets him over the rough patches, even as he’s deep into a semi-covert operation. He’s got a great sense of humor, and a strange attraction to pie. The guy loves to eat his pie.

Someone is paying exorbitant sums of money to buy resident’s homes near the lake in town. Then acreage that’s been torched is deemed definite arson. About this time, the DNA evidence on the body found in the old bread factory is analyzed revealing the name of the murder victim.

Meanwhile, Will’s wife Laura is against all the development planned for the town. She feels it will destroy the small town feeling of Campbell Creek. She rallies a group of local citizens to protest what she sees as the sneaky buying up of homes and property. She organizes a sit in at the mayor’s office, which doesn’t make her brother the sheriff too happy. The character of Laura intrigues me. She’s got a lot of energy and drive. She sees that things don’t add up in this land deal and wants to know why. She’s got an investigative mind and she’s not afraid to pursue an issue. My only problem with Laura is her constant interference in Will’s job. Once resulting in him getting a reprimand and desk duty handling tons of paperwork. All to the delight of Officer Michael Peterson. But that’s just one tiny issue. The Laura character is wonderful.

Laura arranges to meet a woman reporter who has dirt on the land development group. Only the reporter is killed before Laura can get the information. Then Laura gets a bomb threat.

About that time, Will discovers the mayor and his wife murdered in their home. It looks as if they were packing up quickly to get out of town but were killed before they could make their escape. Then things really start getting dicey. Chased by killers, Will and Laura make a run to Washington, D.C. to find hard evidence of corruption and murder.

The author has put together a carefully crafted story of intrigue, greed, and corruption in a small town and also in higher places. Inspirational themes are woven throughout the story within the lives of the characters. I didn’t find any author preaching, which is the way I prefer it. This is the first installment of the Campbell Creek series, which promises to be a winner.