cover image Shakedown

Shakedown

Joel Goldman, . . Pinnacle, $6.99 (397pp) ISBN 978-0-7860-1610-5

A killer identified via a fleeting facial expression and behavioral cues turns a middle-aged FBI agent dealing with a disruptive disability into an unexpected hero in Goldman’s latest terrific thriller (after Deadlocked ). After the brutal murder of Marcellus Pearson, a notorious Kansas City drug dealer, the collateral damage includes his cronies; his young son, Jalise; Jalise’s mother (and Pearson’s girlfriend); and an older woman who witnesses the killer fleeing the crime scene. The shooter is Pearson’s mild-mannered neighbor, Latrell Kelly, who harbors more than a few dark secrets behind his soft-spoken ways. FBI Special Agent Jack Davis understands secrets—he has seizures he’s been able to hide until the Pearson crime scene makes him erupt into visible tremors. Davis must take medical leave, but conducts a private investigation that connects to another chilling puzzler involving his missing daughter, Wendy. Is her significant other, Colby Hudson, an undercover and possibly corrupt FBI agent, responsible? Davis’s new girlfriend, jury consultant Kate Scranton, helps him deal with both cases by teaching him how to “read” faces using the Facial Action Coding System. Goldman’s surefooted plotting and Davis’s courage under fire make this a fascinating, compelling read. (Apr.)