Head Cases by John McMahon ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

FBI Agent Gardner Camden is an analytical genius with an affinity for puzzles. He also has a blind spot on the human side of investigations, a blindness that sometimes even includes people in his own life, like his beloved seven-year-old daughter Camila. Gardner and his squad of brilliant yet quirky agents make up the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, the FBI’s hidden edge, brought in for cases that no one else can solve.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

January 2025; Minotaur Books; 978-1250348296
audio, ebook, print (352 pages); police procedural

Head Cases has gotten quite a bit of buzz since it came out in January. It was a great start to a new crime fiction series.

The main character, Gardner Camden, is neurodivergent. He recognizes that he doesn't interact with people like most others do but in the course of the investigation, he makes the effort. A member of the special PAR unit he doesn't usually have to interact with anyone but his team. However, the case that has come across his desk is one he worked on before he was moved to the PAR unit. He was the lead investigator then so he is automatically the lead investigator again.

This is a mix of police procedural and psychological suspense. The PAR team kind of reminded me of the television show Criminal Minds. Every agent in PAR was sent to that unit for a reason - none of them chose it. But they are good at what they do. 

I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in this series.

Buy Head Cases at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour. 

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