ARC Review: Paradox by Catherine Coulter

Paradox
Author: Catherine Coulter
Series: An FBI Thriller (Book 22)
Publication: Gallery Books (July 31, 2018)

Description: With unparalleled suspense and her trademark explosive twists, #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter delves into the terrifying mind of an escaped mental patient obsessed with revenge in this next installment of her riveting FBI series. When he fails to kidnap five-year-old Sean Savich, agents Sherlock and Savich know they’re in his crosshairs and must find him before he continues with his ‘kill’ list.

Chief Ty Christie of Willicott, Maryland, witnesses a murder at dawn from the deck of her cottage on Lake Massey. When dragging the lake, not only do the divers find the murder victim, they also discover dozens of bones. Even more shocking is the identification of a unique belt buckle found among the bones. Working together with Chief Christie, Savich and Sherlock soon discover a frightening connection between the bones and the escaped psychopath.

Paradox is a chilling mix of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, old secrets that refuse to stay buried, and ruthless greed that keep Savich and Sherlock and Chief Ty Christie working at high speed to uncover the truth before their own bones end up at the bottom on the lake.

My Thoughts: This story begins with someone trying to kidnap five-year-old Sean Savich. Savich and Sherlock need to figure out who he is and track him down before he tries again. They soon learn that their would-be kidnapper is a criminal with a grudge who has had encounters with both of them.

Meanwhile, Chief Ty Christie is having her morning coffee on her deck at Lake Massey near Willicott, Maryland when she looks across the lake and sees one boater hit another over the head and dump the body into the lake. When dredging the lake for the body, they discover a cache of bones leading them to think that they have discovered the dump site for some unknown serial killer. These bones were found near an abandoned mansion that is the local haunted house since it was the site of a couple gruesome murders.

These two stories meet when Savich is called in to identify the body since an FBI agent known to him is missing. He discovers the agent's friend Federal Prosecutor Octavia Ryan is the victim and finds the agent - Sala Porto - bound and locked in a closet in the haunted house.

The would-be kidnapper and murderer is Victor Nesser whom Ryan managed to keep off death row by arguing that he wasn't competent to stand trial and got him committed to a secure mental health facility. Sections from Nesser's viewpoint definitely prove that point since he seems to be sharing his body with his deceased psychopath girlfriend Lissy.

I liked the complexity of the plot and how the viewpoint kept shifting. Ty and Sala are busy working on trying to identify the bones and track down their serial killer while Sherlock and Savich are looking for Victor. The characters were interesting and quirky. I liked the way the investigators followed their leads which expanded the story in interesting ways.

I think the book could have used some editing since some of the characters were described each time they appeared in the story and I didn't need to know that Savich wore a Micky Mouse watch each time he checked the time. Also, some of the dialog was quirky. So many characters seemed to want to tell their whole life story when they were introduced.

All in all, this was an entertaining thriller and a nice addition to a long-running series.

Favorite Quote:

She looked again at the bones. "I wonder how many people he dumped in the lake we'll never find? They're simply gone, forever." She looked at Agents Savich and Royal. "I've read there are hundreds of serial killers running loose around the United States, killing and getting away with it, sliding seamlessly back into their everyday lives, and no ever seeing what they really are."

I received this one in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley. You can buy your copy here.