Paradox: An FBI Thriller

By Catherine Coulter

#1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter delves into the terrifying mind of a dangerous psychopath obsessed with revenge in this next instalment of her riveting FBI series.

When an armed man fails to kidnap five-year-old Sean Savich, agents Sherlock and Savich know they’re in his crosshairs and must find him before he continues with his kill list.

Chief Ty Christie of Willicott, Maryland, witnesses a murder a dawn from the deck of her cottage on Lake Massey. When dragging the lake, the divers not only find the murder victim, they also discover dozens of bones. Even more shocking is the identification of a unique belt buckle found among the remains. Working together with Chief Christie, Savich and Sherlock soon discover a frightening connection between the bones and the escaped psychopath.

Paradox is a chilling mix of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, old secrets that refuse to stay buried, and ruthless greed that keeps Savich and Sherlock and Chief Ty Christie working at high speed to uncover the truth before their own bones end up at the bottom of the lake.

With unparalleled suspense and Coulter’s trademark explosive twists, Paradox is the twenty-second FBI thriller.

'Coulter fans will have a tough time putting this one down.' Publishers Weekly

'Action is nonstop in this latest entry in Coulter's FBI Thriller series... Perfect for the beach and beyond.' Booklist

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Australia
• Release date: Jul 31, 2018
• ISBN: 9781925750591

Catherine Coulter

Catherine Coulter is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eighty-four novels, including the FBI Thriller series and The Brit in the FBI international thriller series, cowritten with J.T. Ellison. Coulter lives in Sausalito, California, with her Übermensch husband and their two noble cats, Peyton and Eli. You can reach her at [e-mail] or visit Facebook.com/CatherineCoulterBooks.

Reviews for Paradox

[carlathelibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another interesting, complicated book in the FBI Thriller series. One of the great things about this series is that there are two story lines going on that usually intertwine in some way. This story begins with someone trying to kill and/or kidnap Sean, Sherlock's and Savich's five year old son. As they figure out who it is from a previous case they were involved in, they become embroiled in the chase for this mentally ill suspect. The second story involves FBI agent Sala Porto, who is missing. His girlfriend has been murdered, witnessed by Police Chief Ty Christie while drinking coffee on her lakeside dock. While dredging for the body, the nets bring up bones, many bones, from the bottom of the lake. The assumption is that a serial killer has been using the lake as a personal dumping ground.

Once again, there is a lot of action with some twists. It is fun trying to figure out how the characters and events will eventually fit together. There were new characters who I hope will appear in future books. This story did not end with anyone falling in love, but there was relationship building involved. There is a bit of psychic activity involved (i.e. visions, dreams and gut feelings) but it does not overwhelm the police work. The things that irked me just a bit is that the FBI agents and police are all good looking, extremely fit and well dressed; that is not what most people relate too. The other thing, as mentioned by another reviewer, is the use of the word "bespoke". By the time I read it for about the third or fourth time, I was cringing. Of course I had to look it up to see where it came from and what it meant. Overall I enjoyed this book. I always watch for this series by Catherine Coulter as I know it will be a quick, enjoyable story. I recommend this book to those who enjoy a quick crime/mystery thriller that is sure to entertain. The publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada - Gallery Books, provided me with a copy of this book to read. The rating, ideas and opinions stated are my own.

[readingover50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first book I've read in the series. I enjoyed reading it. There were two interesting mysteries that were intertwined. The book opens with someone trying to kidnap the son of FBI agents Sherlock and Savich. He fails in the first attempt, but Sherlock and Savich are on guard and trying to figure out who he is. There is a second mystery when an attorney is murdered at a nearby lake.

Having one of the main FBI characters named Sherlock was a bit confusing for me. I felt a jolt of surprise every time I read the name. I really liked the character Ty, the Police Chief from a small lakeside town. She needs her own book.

This book is good enough that I would read other books in the series. I received a free copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.

[pattylouise_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

ParadoxByCatherine CoulterWhat it's all about...An escaped prisoner...totally insane...is on a killing spree. Anyone who wronged him is on his list of people who are going to die. Unfortunately he lands in a small resort town with nothing but vengeance on his mind. When Police Chief Ty sees what she believes is a murder happening there is quick action to dredge the lake to find the body. This leads to a discovery of bones! Lots of bones and one mysterious belt buckle. Why I wanted to read it...This book has maintained an incredibly fast pace throughout. No one is safe from Victor. He manages to escape almost every effort to retain him. What made me truly enjoy this book...The pace, the characters, the plot...all of these kept my interest in this book high. There are memorable characters in this book...Agents Savich and Sherlock...Police Chief Ty...Gunny/Leigh...everyone is united in their quest to find out more about the bones in the lake and the capture of Victor! Why you should read it, too...Readers who love a fast paced chilling mystery with a villain that needs to be despised and eradicated ...should love this book.I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.

[aztwinmom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In Paradox, Savich and Sherlock are called in when a search of a lake for a murder victim’s body leads to the discovery of multiple skeletons. There are two mysteries to be solved which are entwined at the end for a satisfying conclusion. With interesting characters, a clever mystery, and a quick pace, Paradox is a terrific addition to the FBI Thriller series.

[teachlz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Catherine Coulter, Author of “Paradox” has written an intriguing, intense, captivating and suspenseful novel. The Genres for this Novel are Fiction, Mystery, Thriller and Suspense. This is the 22nd in a series by Catherine Coulter, and can be read as a stand-alone.The author describes her characters as complex, complicated and motivated. The author has written about several storylines that merge into one. Chief Ty Christie, of Maryland witnesses a murder from the deck of her cottage on Lake Massey. Law enforcement looking for the body, finds a tremendous number of bones, and a star shaped gold medal. The FBI has been called in.Agents Sherlock and Savitz have just stopped someone attempting to kidnap their son in their alarmed home. Someone seems to be intent on revenge on the married agents and son. After another attempt in a public place, they realize this is a deadly and dangerous problem.Sherlock and Savitz join forces with Chief Ty Christie. Chief Christie tries to identify the killer. The suspect seems to be a dangerous escaped mental patient. The murder victim is identified as the mental patient’s attorney. The suspect has two different personalities, like a “Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde.There are edgy twists and turns, very deep dark secrets, that make this a page turning riveting novel. There are dead bodies, more attempted murders. There seems to be at least one psychotic killer who wants revenge. In this suspenseful novel, there are some red herrings, and some unexpected turn of events. I recommend this novel for those readers that appreciate a chilling thriller. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story begins with someone trying to kidnap five-year-old Sean Savich. Savich and Sherlock need to figure out who he is and track him down before he tries again. They soon learn that their would-be kidnapper is a criminal with a grudge who has had encounters with both of them.Meanwhile, Chief Ty Christie is having her morning coffee on her deck at Lake Massey near Willicott, Maryland when she looks across the lake and sees one boater hit another over the head and dump the body into the lake. When dredging the lake for the body, they discover a cache of bones leading them to think that they have discovered the dump site for some unknown serial killer. These bones were found near an abandoned mansion that is the local haunted house since it was the site of a couple gruesome murders.These two stories meet when Savich is called in to identify the body since an FBI agent known to him is missing. He discovers the agent's friend Federal Prosecutor Octavia Ryan is the victim and finds the agent - Sala Porto - bound and locked in a closet in the haunted house. The would-be kidnapper and murderer is Victor Nesser whom Ryan managed to keep off death row by arguing that he wasn't competent to stand trial and got him committed to a secure mental health facility. Sections from Nesser's viewpoint definitely prove that point since he seems to be sharing his body with his deceased psychopath girlfriend Lissy. I liked the complexity of the plot and how the viewpoint kept shifting. Ty and Sala are busy working on trying to identify the bones and track down their serial killer while Sherlock and Savich are looking for Victor. The characters were interesting and quirky. I liked the way the investigators followed their leads which expanded the story in interesting ways.I think the book could have used some editing since some of the characters were described each time they appeared in the story and I didn't need to know that Savich wore a Micky Mouse watch each time he checked the time. Also, some of the dialog was quirky. So many characters seemed to want to tell their whole life story when they were introduced. All in all, this was an entertaining thriller and a nice addition to a long-running series.

[andy_dimartino · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Fairly predictable that one was

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Paradox by Catherine Coulter is the twenty-second An FBI Thriller. I am new to the series, but I did not have any trouble thanks to the author providing the necessary background information. Paradox has an appealing opening that had me looking forward to reading more. It was thrilling and exciting with someone trying to kidnap Sean Savich and Chief Ty Christie observing a man being murdered. I was soon disappointed when the pacing started to lag and there were repetitive details that were totally unnecessary. The overly detailed descriptions also did not suit this story. We are introduced to numerous characters and are provided a backstory on each one (or so it seems). Paradox needed a faster pace and more action. I found the mystery to be predictable. The twists and turns were not unexpected. I was easily able to solve the mystery (that may have something to do with the hundreds of mysteries that I have read too). I wish the rest of the book had lived up to the first few chapters that had me riveted. While I wanted a little more oomph, others have enjoyed Paradox. Paradox is perfect to read on an airplane, on vacation or at the beach. I just wanted more thrills, chills and chases.

[sarielle-2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I am disappointed. This book has a rating of 4.19 and is rated by nearly 6,000 readers. I was expecting something spectacular. And it turns out that this is a very middling story. Not boring enough to DNF it, but not interesting enough to be entertainment or easy read.

I haven't read any Savich and Sherlock books, and maybe that's part of the problem. From this series, I only read very early books. I don't know these characters, I'm not attached to them. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with characters. They are fine, not very distinctive but they did not annoy me.

The plot is my problem. No, that's not exactly it either. The real problem is virtually no action. Everything happens in a non-volatile way, without any surprises or sudden twists. Even worse, there is basically no mystery. The whole story promises to be great. The murderer burst into Savich and Sherlock's home and threatens their son. Agents must catch him. Unfortunately, we find out quite quickly who the killer is and what his motives are. There are also whole chapters in which we accompany him in the escape and then we wait for the main characters to catch up. Boring! No mystery and not even a thrill in the chase. Everything is very sluggish.

Everything could be saved by the second mystery. The head of the local police finds ample of human bones at the bottom of the lake. Which indicates a serial killer who has been operating in the area for years that no one has heard of. I had really high expectations of this thread. Unfortunately, they were too high. This thread is also killed by boredom and slow pace. Ty and Sala are conducting some kind of investigation but there is no interesting progress in it and the whole matter finally solves practically when one of the characters has a dream during sleep. Seriously?

Nothing really happens in this book. The characters conduct some kind of investigation by asking the same questions to different people with no results. This is all interwoven with chapters with the killer and chapters that add nothing to the whole story. Dialogues are repetitive and monotonous. The style of writing sometimes leaves much to be desired and looks more like an unfinished sketch. It all adds up to a book you won't remember in a week.

I am really disappointed. I give this book 2.5. The idea is not bad, but the implementation is really weak. I hope the other books in this series are more interesting.