PARADOX

4 stars out of 5

I’m enjoying this series, of which this is the second, because it’s a bit off center, if you will – the stories cross over the line of believability a titch but do not destroy it, because there’s research (as well as plenty of general public speculation) that lends credibility. The first book, “Extinction,” focused on reconstituting long-gone Neanderthal parts that became alive through genetic manipulation, understandably were wild and nearly destroyed main characters Colorado Bureau of Investigation Agent Frankie Cash and Colorado Sheriff James Colcord.

This one is more reminiscent of a Dan Brown novel, starting with the theft of a fragment of a part of the biblical John the Baptist’s head, which has been locked in a case at the Irish Pallottine Fathers of the Basilica for safekeeping. Needless to say, it’s priceless relic, and it’s caused consternation all the way up to the Pope, who resides not far away, and one of the Brothers is charged with finding and returning it to its rightful place.

Meantime, over in America, Cash gets a call from Colcord telling her there’s been a murder in Flat Tops Wilderness – near where those aforementioned Neanderthals escaped from a laboratory into the wilderness. For now, they seem to be on the lam, so for now, at least, Colcord doesn’t consider them to be the culprits. The victim is William Grooms, an illegal squatter. The murder itself, though, suggests some sort of ritual that may be related to Catholicism (I’d mention some of them, but they’re pretty gruesome and besides, that would spoil the impact for other readers).

Back in Rome, the person who ripped off John the Baptist’s body part is identified – an exobiologist from San Francisco. One of the Brothers is sent to find him and retrieve the relic on personal order of the Pope.

If all this sounds strange, it is; but most readers will conclude early on that the two cases are somehow related. And of course, the “somehow” is for Cash and Colcord to discover and pass on to readers – I’m out of that equation because I won’t spoil the story for others. Suffice it to say things get even stranger as the investigation – and search for poor St. John’s head fragment – starts to pick up steam.

Definitely worth reading, and don’t miss the section at the end where the author explains some of the research from which the story was born. As for me, I’m looking forward to the next one – and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to spend time with this one by way of a pre-release copy. Quite engaging!

Paradox by Douglas Preston and Aletheia Preston (Forge Books, April 2026); 352 pp. 

PARADOX

5 stars out of 5


Granted, I'm semi-retired - but finish a nearly 450-page book in two days? Certainly not a normal happenin' thing, but finish it I did. Yes, the story is engrossing and I love FBI agents Sherlock and Savich (this is the 22nd installment in the series). But I'll also credit the author's uncanny way of ending each chapter at such a tantalizing point that it's almost impossible to resist the "just one more" temptation. So strong is that pull, in fact, that at one point I realized I'd read eight chapters beyond the point at which I really, really needed to turn off my Kindle and do something else.

Also curious, BTW, is that almost all the female characters have what at first blush I'd assume are "male" names, among them Ty, Morgan, Marty and Gunny. Happenstance, or intention? And if the latter, why? Inquiring minds would love to know. But I digress.

The married agents have a young son named Sean, of whom, some would say, they're overprotective. That proves to be warranted, though, when in the middle of the night Savich is awakened by warning beeps - and runs to her son's room to find an intruder standing over the child's bed. The man, who was wielding a knife, manages to escape - but the incident forces Savich and Sherlock to acknowledge that their family is on the hit list of a very nasty person.

Around the same time, Willicot, Maryland, police chief Ty Christie is relaxing at her cottage on Lake Massey when to what do her wondering eyes doth appear than a frightening scene: One of two people out in a boat smacks the other and dumps the body overboard, an apparent murder. When said body is found by divers, it turns out to be a female federal prosecutor who's been dating Salo Porto, an FBI agent-friend of Savich, who in turn is called in to help.

But divers find not only that freshly killed body, but a rather large array of old bones and a unique belt buckle - raising suspicions of a serial killer. Most of the bones were collected not far from an abandoned mansion in which two entire families were murdered; since then, the property has been deemed "haunted" and has stood empty. When Savich and Sherlock go inside, they find nothing noteworthy except a single very tidy bedroom amid an otherwise decaying house. That is, until Savich has one of his "visions," leading him to the upper level and the discovery of his old friend Porto, who's been locked in a closet and left to die.

Turns out the killer is a relatively young man who recently escaped from a mental institution - a man with ties not only to the woman he just killed but to Savich, who was forced to kill the man's young girlfriend back when he was arrested. Evidence leads to the certainty that he was the man who attempted to kidnap (or perhaps murder) Savich and Sherlock's son.

But strong suspicion isn't proof (nor are Savich's visions), so the chase is on to gather evidence and track down the killer. The investigation efforts get a big boost from Christie and Palo, who join forces and become major characters in the rest of the book. Even though the killer is known, though, there's plenty of action and even more head games to carry the story through to the end (with a little left over for another book). In short, it's another winner - and once again I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for providing me with an advance review copy.

Paradox by Catherine Coulter (Gallery Books, July 2018); 448 pp.