Head Cases by John McMahon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Gardner Camden is a genius – and he employs his superpower at PAR, a specialized unit of the FBI. PAR is made up of a nerdy group of accomplished misfits who’ve been banished to obscurity because of one misdemeanor or the other.
Gardner’s quirky ways start to grow on you: his internal compass always points him toward truth and justice, so trying to navigate (tactfully) around all the internal politics and infighting that is the FBI is a constant battle for him.
He sees things in very clear cut ways, but the powers that be don’t see this internal compass, often voiced in a blunt manner, as an asset.
A highly sensitive case involving the murder of several known serial killers leads to Gardner Camden heading this elite think tank out in the field.
We get to know each of Gardner’s highly colourful team members – which is good because this is the first installment in a future series. I, for one, can’t wait for the next installment! (I shot my sleeping patterns right to hell – I simply could not put this book down!)
I highly recommend this action-packed novel. It has it all: great writing, plenty of action, a totally twisted plot, and an intriguing cast of characters.
My thanks to the author, John McMahon, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 5 out of 5 well deserved stars, and then some!
(Expected Publication Date: January 28, 2025.)
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4 replies on “Head Cases (PAR Unit, #1) by John McMahon”
Oh this sounds good, I definitely have to check this out. It has kind of the kind of vibes from that old tv show 24, or Blindspot. But I think the characters in Blindspot were quirkier! Love the images. And I think Dr Spock would be good to work for the FBI!
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Thanks for you comment, Katie. Yes, the characters are definitely quirky – the team members all have interesting behaviour and lifestyles. They are a great team and had each other’s backs. I stopped watching TV a few years ago because I can only do so much “gruesome violence”. I stopped watching The Walking Dead, after season 3, and slowly but surely I stopped watching crime shows, etc., because my anxiety level was escalating. As soon as I stopped watching TV altogether, I stopped having nightmares completely. So, we have to be careful what we expose ourselves to, especially as we age. I hope you get a chance to read this one. I tried to read McMahon’s first book, The Good Detective, but it started making me very anxious: the descriptions were VERY graphic and it was all about racial hatred and Neo-Nazis, etc. There is, of course, a need for that type of “exposure” book but I could feel my blood pressure soaring, so I skimmed through it and sent it back to the library. I think John McMahon has a great future in store for him as an FBI profiler writer. This was VERY good! Hope you are getting in a lot of great reads, Katie! Stay well, and Happy New Year!
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Fair enough on the tv show front. There’s certain things I never would have watched but my husband started watching. But I can’t stand anything to do with Zombie’s and hate horror movies, but I like detective shows and murder mysteries – go figure! I’ve been loving the Irish Village Mystery Series by Carlene O’Connor and I finished book 8 before Christmas. I was halfway through A Gentlewoman’s Guide to Murder by Victoria Hamilton but wasn’t really into it. But because book 2 sounds interesting I’ve re-borrowed it again. I also got Miss Beeton’s Murder Agency on hold and am waiting for that one – so once I finish those 2 I’ll try and borrow this one and I know my local library is in the process of buying it – I already checked.
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You should consider applying to NetGalley as a reviewer, Katie! You would have access to most of the new releases. Some authors don’t bother to get their books reviewed on NetGalley because they are so famous that their publishers don’t need to do much publicity for them. Quite a few reviewers will write one or two sentences as a review. I like illustrating my reviews with GIFs and pictures from the internet because I like to show people what was going through my mind as I read the book. I’ve taken note of the authors you have mentioned and will check a couple of them out at my local library as well. I so enjoy chatting with fellow enthusiastic readers, Katie! We will BOTH avoid Zombies and horror flicks and stick to solving crimes in our reading chairs! Thanks again!
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