In Pobi's Under Pressure (2020), he used Manhattan as a stage setting for a series of hellacious bombings that left readers wondering if there was anything left of that poor island. The place seems undiminished here, but series hero Lucas Page isn't. Damaged by a blast, he must make do with an artificial eye, arm, and leg. Even so, the ex-FBI agent--he's a consultant now--with his spooky knack for finding the pattern in a mountain of disconnected details, remains game to go. So are his cohorts: long-suffering wife Erin, snarky colleague Whitaker, and boozy cop Russo. This time, Pobi has involved them in a plot so outlandish, so far-fetched, that readers will wonder why they're taking in the novel in great big gulps, turning pages as though tomorrow depended upon it. The plot? Somebody is murdering doctors. A dozen plus. No reason can be found. Page thinks they're connected and pursues the link through explosions, car chases, gunfights, and more murders, real and attempted. Pobi makes it work by offering a remarkable reading experience. The victims are people, not plot devices; their deaths are jarring but described with cringy, mordant humor (one victim's face "looked like it was on inside out."). The energy is relentless, and the writing is luminous.

Pobi's strong third Lucas Page novel (after 2020's Under Pressure) combines an unusual lead with nail-biting suspense. Genius astrophysicist Page, who left the FBI after suffering horrific injuries, has since devoted himself to his wife, Erin, a pediatric surgeon, and their five adopted children. But his hopes of leaving his crime-solving days behind are again dashed when his attendance at a foundation's annual charity dinner to raise money for some of New York City's poorest hospitals leads to a shocking realization. During the dinner, a memorial slideshow presents images of doctors involved in the charity who died in the previous year. Page believes the number of such deaths--30--in such a small subgroup of the city's population signifies foul play and begins digging. Despite official findings of accidents, natural causes, or suicides, Page is convinced the doctors were murdered, and Erin urges him to investigate when a close friend of hers, who was at the dinner, apparently hangs himself. Page gets his former FBI boss to okay an official inquiry and delves into what links the dead doctors. The artful plot twists keep readers guessing throughout. John Verdon fans will be thrilled. Agent: Jill Marr, Sandra Dijkstra Literary. (Aug.)