Pobi, Robert. City of Windows. New York: Minotaur. 2019. Print
First Sentences:
I confess to a certain addiction to thrillers, especially when they involve police procedures. I'm not a fan of gratuitous, bloody violence (although with Scandanavian authors, I seem to be more willing to compromise).
Nimi Olsen made the mistake of trying to cross Forty-second half a block before the intersection and missed the light.
She was now stranded on the spine of frozen slush that snaked down the middle of the street, freezing her ass off. Cars snapped by with homicidal vigor, and every few seconds a mirror brushed her hip.
Description:
Description:
I confess to a certain addiction to thrillers, especially when they involve police procedures. I'm not a fan of gratuitous, bloody violence (although with Scandanavian authors, I seem to be more willing to compromise).
So it is with great enthusiasm that I recommend Robert Pobi's City of Windows, an almost bloodless series of murders investigated by a astrophysicist who doesn't carry a gun. The murders, and yes, there are killings, are conducted with one shot only, by a shooter using a long-range rifle from over 700 yards away. The target is dead before the sound reaches any observers. The victims seem to be random selections, and of course the shooter is long gone by the time the police can even guess which window the shot came from.
Enter former FBI agent Lucas Page, a university professor who left the service after an "incident" left him with a prosthetic leg and arm. But he still retains a unique ability of seeing the world and situations broken down into geometric patterns, angles, and makeup. He is reluctantly recalled into service because the first shooting victim was his former partner.
Page pokes around, digging into files, looking for some connection between the targets before another person can fall to a long-range head shot. But the trail is cold and the victims keep falling, forcing Page to enlist help from unusual sources: computers and small town people who hate government intervention into matters best left in the past.
I loved this book because, while there are people being shot, it is relatively bloodless. No eyeball gouging, no street fights, no stabbings, and certainly no gun battles. Just someone picking off victims, eluding FBI and Page throughout the book. There are hints to solving this, but they are very subtle - until Page starts to see the light.
So if you are fan of nail-biting suspense crime stories, even ones that involve murders, but might be a bit hesitant to leap into another book with over-the-top violence, then City of Windows is for you.
Enter former FBI agent Lucas Page, a university professor who left the service after an "incident" left him with a prosthetic leg and arm. But he still retains a unique ability of seeing the world and situations broken down into geometric patterns, angles, and makeup. He is reluctantly recalled into service because the first shooting victim was his former partner.
Page pokes around, digging into files, looking for some connection between the targets before another person can fall to a long-range head shot. But the trail is cold and the victims keep falling, forcing Page to enlist help from unusual sources: computers and small town people who hate government intervention into matters best left in the past.
I loved this book because, while there are people being shot, it is relatively bloodless. No eyeball gouging, no street fights, no stabbings, and certainly no gun battles. Just someone picking off victims, eluding FBI and Page throughout the book. There are hints to solving this, but they are very subtle - until Page starts to see the light.
So if you are fan of nail-biting suspense crime stories, even ones that involve murders, but might be a bit hesitant to leap into another book with over-the-top violence, then City of Windows is for you.
P.S. There are now two other Lucas Page novels, Under Pressure and Do No Harm I just finished reading both of them and can eagerly recommend each of these twisty, thoughtful serial murders. Best to read them in order, starting with City of Windows. He's just a great character trying to untangle complex, unsolvable cases, exactly the scenario I enjoy.
____________________
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
If this book interests you, be sure to check out:
Child, Lee. One Shot.
Five random people are shot on a public street in only a few seconds by a person using a long-range rifle. The police make a quick arrest based on the evidence found. But the prisoner claims innocence and ask for Jack Reacher, former Army MP, to investigate. Breath-taking in its thoroughness of investigation, thrills, and toughness. Another great one from Lee Child.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Add a comment or book recommendation.