Fate of the Union -- Max Allan Collins with Matthew V. Clemens

Fate of the Union is the sequel to Collins and Clemens' bestselling Supreme Justice, in which FBI agent Patti Rogers and security consultant Joe Reeder went after a killer who was targeting Supreme Court justices.  In this one, Rogers is working on a case involving what appears to be a serial killer, while Reeder is looking into the supposed suicide (but suspected murder) of an old friend.  I don't think it's spoiling anything to say that the cases turn out to be related.  And also that they turn out to involve politics.  Considering the title and the cover, you'd be expecting that.

This series is set in the near future, 2020, so things are a little different from our own time.  The surveillance state is in full swing, for one thing, and hackers are even better at what they're doing than they are now.  That doesn't always make it easier to find someone, but it does make it a lot easier (for both sides) to get certain kinds of information.  Unfortunately, it doesn't mean you can get that information instantaneously, so finding and catching the bad guys still involves footwork, fisticuffs, and firearms.  Not to mention a really big explosion.

There's some interesting character development along with the main plot, and all I'll mention is that it concerns Rogers and an intriguing person she meets in the course of the investigation.  It will be fun to see how things work out, and in addition to that relationship, there's a loose end or two that seems to point to a direct sequel before too long.

Collins and Clemens know what they're doing when it comes to this kind of thriller.  You get suspense, forensics, computer hacking, fast action, the whole package.  And the whole package is a real page-turner.  The book's 300 pages fly right by.  Check it out and see for yourself.