Traps: A Novel of the FBI

This is definitely one of Mr Lindsay's best FBI novels to date. Jack Kincaid, our tragic hero, is someone I felt sorry for, yet admired at the same time, flaws and all. Loved his detecting skills. The story was riveting and came to a thrilling climax. I'd pretty much figured out the ending, so was kind of reluctant to finish because I didn't want to be right. Overall, a very enjoyable FBI procedural, with a likable tragic hero. Looking forward to what comes next from Mr Lindsay.

As the title implies, traps of various kinds pepper the plot, including "bank traps," which underachieving FBI agent Jack Kincade uses to rip off bank night deposit drops. The money doesn't go towards supporting an affluent lifestyle; this down-and-out divorcee is living in a dive motel, drinking cheap vodka, and driving a battered minivan. But poker money has to come from somewhere.Jack, who's found all the ways to dodge work a bureaucracy can offer, must investigate a massive bomb threat. A desperate man planted the bomb hoping to force the FBI to finally solve his daughter's murder. Jack partners with Ben Alton to follow some leads. The two couldn't be more different. Ben, a family man, is a go-getter who worked his way up from the projects. He sets his mind to something and doesn't give up. But he's not working at 100% because he recently lost the lower half of his leg to cancer, and though he's back a month early to help with the investigation, the boss assigns him to desk duty for his own safety.Of all the available agents, these two seem the least likely to succeed, but Jack's sharp powers of deduction and Ben's unstoppable energy work together well, and with some luck, the old crime is solved. But questions still remain, and the pair dig deeper to find another more-horrifying layer of murderous revenge. They must stay one step ahead of the villain and his traps; Jack's got to stay ahead of the FBI's internal police.This audiobook had me hooked from start to finish. The pace never slows, nor does it move too fast that you can't understand what's happening. I'm no expert on the FBI, but the author certainly made me feel I was inside the organization, with its politics and personalities. Some events stretched the limits of disbelief, but I don't think they went too far. As for the performance by the reader, it was mostly OK, but I have a few compaints. The voice of Jack was very gruff. At first I didn't think I'd want to sit through a whole book with that voice. I got used to it, but I never really liked it. He also mispronounced "interment" as "internment." My biggest gripe however is how his voice dropped off at the end of sentences. Since I listen while driving, hearing those words was quite a problem.And sure, the "odd couple" pairing of Ben and Jack has been done to death, but this author pulled it off. They fire off some funny lines and it never became tiresome. The writing style is clear, never overwrought. This book isn't the same old thing. It's actually darn good.

It has been three years since his daughter has been kidnapped and the FBI still has not the slightest idea what happened to Leah Ziven. Her father Conrad builds a bomb and plants it under the Cook County jail, which houses over 15,000 prisoners. Only he has the combination to disarm the bomb and he won't give it out until they find his daughter.FBI agent Jack Kincade, a man who robs banks as a sideline is partnered with Ben Alton, an amputee victim with something to prove. The hastily formed team finds the girl's body and the ransom at an abandoned shack. Leah's father gives them the data they need to remove the bomb but that doesn't end the case because the killer is still out there. Ben and Jack (not Jerry, silly) are on his case, trying to break him, a very dangerous thing to do to a psychopath with nothing left to lose.TRAPS is a fascinating crime thriller due to the enigmatic anti-hero Jack Kincade. He's a drunk and a gambler who cut off all communication with his son. He robs banks to support his gambling habit yet in spite of all these failing, readers feel drawn to this bad boy because they sense there is a kernel of decency and goodness buried in his heart, waiting to bloom under the right conditions. Paul Lindsay will appeal to readers who like the novels of Patricia Cornwell and Robert W. Walker.Harriet Klausner