Sunday, August 2, 2020

1st case by James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts

Angela Hoot was set for a bright career, until she blew it by being kicked out of her graduate masters programme in Computation for Design and Optimisation at MIT, after a measly two months.  She had her reasons for hacking into another students computer (very good reasons) but she's not about to tell her family about it.  It seems like all her hard work is for nothing but then her mentor, FBI Agent Eve Abajian, helps her get an internship with the FBI.  It could prove to be her dream job, especially as she gets to play with some really cool tech that is close to toys for someone like her as you can get.  The shine of the internship is somewhat tarnished when she is called to a crime scene where the whole family has been killed, most of them in a rather bloody fashion.  It is an abrupt introduction to crime scenes, but it doesn't stop Angela from diving into the case.

Being the intern is bad enough, it doesn't help that Agent Billy Keats, treats her like she needs protecting from the harsh realities of what the FBI deals with.  As Angela gets more involved with the case she becomes more than a little obsessive, especially when Eve points her in the direction of some very cool (but also very creepy) technology.  As someone who has been described as brilliant, and a prodigy, most of her life, Angela tackles the problem like it is a very personal one - refusing to give up the chase for the person responsible for the death of the young women and their families.  Getting tunnel vision is a bad thing though, because if you focus on your target too much you can miss what is happening around you, and the hunter can become the hunted.  Can Angela untangle the technology and find the killer before it is too late?

1st case was an interesting read, partly because it is so tech heavy and that is something that James Patterson tends to avoid in his books, a focus on something that not everyone understands.  I was a little worried that it would be too techie for my mother to enjoy, but she did, so the general story does a very good job of carrying you along even if you aren't that familiar about the technology.  Angela Hoot was an interesting character, she is young and enthusiastic, and she also has some pretty interesting flaws that make her an interesting and well rounded character.  Most James Patterson novels set a blistering pace, and 1st case is no exception.

The writing styles of the two authors flowed together seamlessly, making for a cohesive style without jarring or confusion (unfortunately not always the case with Patterson collaborations).  This was a nice diversion from some of the more graphic and gruesome Patterson collaborations, and also interesting to experience crime from the FBI, and a rather specialized part of the FBI, rather than jus the same old same old police perspective.  Fingers crossed for more offerings from these authors in the future.

If you like this book then try:

Reviewed by Brilla

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