Agent Bowers is sent to Wisconsin to help investigate an apparent double murder: a man supposedly shoots his wife and daughter. But not everything is as it seems. The Navy is pressuring the FBI director to put their best people on this case. Why would the Navy be interested in the disappearance of a Wisconsin sawmill worker? Before the book is over, the facts of this case will reach all the way to the Middle East - to a top secret CIA detainment facility.
A couple of negative things about the book. Yet again, one of the villains turns out to be a friend of Bowers.... This has happened in two other books in this series, if my memory is right. Now, it makes for really good page-turning suspense, especially when you can't guess who it is - but at the same time, it is almost getting old. (I mean, does this happen in real life? Can every FBI agent name at least three former colleagues who wound up being serial killers? Maybe so... the nature of the field, I suppose.) I can easily forgive this small issue, however, since the quality of the book is beyond superb.
There were a couple of typos. Sometimes the technical explanations ran a little long. These are all VERY minor things. And, in the grand scheme of things, I'm embarrassed that I even bring them up.
On the positive side, there was less violence in this book. In fact, family and relational issues took up a greater portion of the story than in any of the previous books. That doesn't mean that the book isn't filled with great action and suspense - because it is. We learn a great deal about the backstory of Patrick and his brother Sean (and his brother's wife.....). Patrick is planning on asking a certain someone a certain important question.
Tessa struggles with some of her guilt, as well as the topic of forgiveness. In fact, the best scene of the book (to me) is when Tessa has a deep heart-to-heart with God. It's not a tremendously dramatic conversion, with a sinner's prayer - but Tessa tells Patrick that "something happened" to her in a hospital chapel. It was the closest thing to a salvation experience in the Bowers Files so far! Of all the characters that are in the series, I fully expected Tessa to be the first to take the small steps of faith. And I was right! She's a great character in these books.
According to the Wikipedia page, Steven James is writing a prequel to the series right now; then he will finish the series with "The King" and finally "Checkmate". Let's just say, I'm (not so) patiently waiting!
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