More Than Meets the Eye

Bestseller Johansen and son’s pulse-pounding ninth Kendra Michaels thriller (after 2021’s Blink of an Eye) opens with FBI agents and other law enforcement officers escorting serial killer James Michael Barrett, who has taken a plea deal to avoid the death penalty, to where he buried his first victim two years earlier in a remote area east of San Diego, Calif. As two officials begin to dig, a bomb goes off, killing Barrett and others. The San Diego FBI reluctantly allows consultant Kendra Michaels to assist in its investigation, as she’s eager to help after learning that an FBI friend of hers was seriously injured in the blast. With help from Adam Lynch, a former FBI agent now working in black ops, Kendra discovers that Barrett was likely taking orders from some unknown person. Kendra and Lynch come to believe that this person is still out there as the body count rises, along with the suspense. The pair must draw on their entire arsenal of skills to prevent more deaths and expose the bomber. Fans and newcomers alike will be enthralled. Agents: Andrea Cirillo and Rebecca Scherer, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Feb.)