The Drummers

The Drummers, so-called because they march to their own beat or more precisely to the dictates of their charismatic leader, Gideon Masters, have taken over an abandoned church in Artemis, Tex., in Fields’s timely sixth outing for Josie Gray, the town’s police chief (after 2016’s Midnight Crossing). According to Gideon, the Drummers are “like-minded people who want to live off the grid without government interference,” but could they be responsible for the shots fired at three West Texas power substations? When a Drummer member, a paroled felon, is seen with a handgun tucked into his belt, Josie is forced to intervene. A shoot-out ensues at the church, and 15-year-old Mandy Seneck, a cult member, is fatally struck by a stray bullet. The internet soon fills with posts accusing Josie of creating the circumstances that led to Mandy’s death. Another death within the Drummers’ community shifts the investigation’s direction to Gideon. Fields lays out a plausible route for cult indoctrination of those who think—or at one time thought—of themselves as good people. This convincing look at homegrown terrorism will resonate with many readers. (Apr.)