The Queen by Steven James

                The Queen by Steven James is a thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end.  This is a must read.

                The Queen is the final book in the Patrick Bower series. There are 5 books altogether.   You could read this book without having read the previous books because Steven James does a good job of giving you enough background at the beginning of the book to understand the story.  If you have followed this series he wraps things up quite nicely but in a way that will surprise you.

                Patrick Bower, the main character, is an FBI geospatial profiler.  This profession is explained in the book.  Although in each book he solves a different crime, they are all related to his ultimate search for a serial killer.  The Queen is no different.  In this book, Patrick heads to Minnesota to work a crime scene that has to do with his search for Basque, the serial killer, and his accomplice.   While in Minnesota he is tasked to investigate the killing of a retired Navy officer’s wife and child.

                What ensues is 516 can’t wait to turn the page – pages.  I have always thought his books were written like episodes of CSI.  He has technical details of crime scenes and espionage but he also includes the human and personal element of the story.  Patrick Bowers is a step-father struggling to raise a teenage daughter.  He is also wading through a relationship with another FBI agent.  Both story elements are balanced with neither of them overtaking the plot line.  The author twists them altogether to keep you guessing about who the bad guy is until the last few pages.

                Should you read this book?  ABSOLUTELY!  If you are a lover of thriller and suspense, then this book is for you.