Velocity

Alan Jacobson

Velocity starts up where Alan Jacobson's Crush left off. Karen Vail, FBI profiler, is still in Napa, California. Her vacation changed into a manhunt. They caught the Crush Killer who is now in a coma in the hospital. An FBI agent has died when he open fired on the Killer and was hit by a ricocheting bullet. Karen's love, the man who accompanied her on a vacation to Napa, Robby Hernandez, has disappeared.

Vail is over the edge with worry for Hernandez. She convinces the local police they have to find him. Vail is soon flashing Hernandez's photo all over wine country. Also, it appears the Crush Killer had a follower who has immediately taken over when he was forced to stop. This man may also know where Hernandez is.

In the midst of all this, Vail is recalled to Washington, D.C. She is needed to profile a new murder there. She doesn't want to go, argues as much as she can, and has to leave anyway. That won't stop her from doing as much as possible until her plane takes off. Once she has returned to D.C., she continues to seek help to locate Hernandez. She may not be on site in California, but has contacts in D.C. who can help in the search for her lover.

Velocity starts off with a slam to the senses and doesn't stop until the end. The novel is constantly on the edge - almost succeeding in catching one bad guy or another only to be just too late - or not. Vail and her companions are constantly in danger, constantly rushing from one crisis to another.

Velocity also shines a bright spotlight on the Mexican illegal trade into the United States. Jacobson did deep research into the current state of the trade. Despite my voracious reading, I was amazed at the high variety of methods used to smuggle drugs - hollowing out wine corks, drugs turned into label glue, or even into labels as well. The statistics are beyond my comprehension. Jacobson also studied current drug fighting methods. He describes the DEA facility in San Diego, along with the attitudes and loyalty of the many employees there. The list of DEA employees in Jacobson's followup acknowledgements is impressive.

For action packed, constant thrills, and edges of terror, Velocity is a choice book. At times it is overwhelming; I had to back off and take a break from the book. Karen Vail is quite a character. She is rough, distrustful, hurt, loyal, and an excellent profiler. She's a mother, divorcee, and lover. Don't cross her.

Notice:  Graphic violence, Strong indecent language

Publicist provided for review

The 7th Victim
Crush
Velocity