I loved Pobi's mystery; the character of Page, a retired detective who is pulled back onto a case; and the smart commentary about gun ownership and responsibility.
This was a really compelling mystery/thriller—with a smart underlying commentary about gun ownership, violence, and the factors complicating these issues, including societal malaise, ignorance often overpowering facts, and longstanding patterns of power and fear.
I loved the balance of clues and revelations Pobi lays out; they didn’t make me feel manipulated or red-herringed to death.
I adore a setup where a gifted detective is brought back onto a case because he or she is just too good--and this is one of those. Boy, did Page try to leave, and with good reason. But he's baaack, baby!
A couple of nitpicky details: one character's mind reading over the phone felt like far more of an unrealistic stretch than when she was anticipating questions in person. And I think there would have likely been police protection on site in Montauk. It wouldn’t have made any material difference to events, but not putting that protection in place felt like a huge miss for the FBI and Lucas, and it created a blip in my belief of the story.
Lucas Page is a fantastic character (as are Whitaker, Kehoe, Erin, and Dingo). I wasn’t sure if Page’s robotlike behavior was going to overwhelm things, but Pobi struck a great balance for his idiosyncratic character.
The elaborate climactic scene was creatively gruesome—and I felt realistic disgust as a result.
What did you think?
I haven't yet read the second in this Lucas Page series, Under Pressure--and when I read City of Windows I didn't even realize it was part of a series, it stands so well on its own.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I mentioned this book in the Greedy Reading List The Six Best Mysteries I Read Last Year.