Killer View

In this propulsive series spinoff from bestseller Johansen (the Kendra Michaels series), PI Jessie Mercado, Kendra’s friend and occasional colleague, takes center stage. Michaels, “a San Diego music therapist whose powers of observation made her a go-to consultant in several high-profile law enforcement investigations,” introduces Jessie to a new client, Owen Blake, the co-owner of an incarceration consultancy, which handles financial and personal needs for people who are serving prison sentences. Blake’s partner, Carl Ferris, has disappeared, and he wants Jessie to find him. Though she suspects that Blake may be hiding something, she nonetheless agrees to take his case. She’s assisted by her new boyfriend, “the hottest actor on the planet,” who decides to put the skills he has honed working on Marvel Superhero flicks to good use. Kendra also lends a hand. When the first person Jessie questions about Ferris is murdered and she too is attacked, she realizes there’s much more at stake than a missing person. Relentless action and dastardly villains keep the pages turning. Johansen, who usually collaborates with mother Iris Johansen, delivers the goods. Agents: Andrea Cirillo and Rebecca Scherer, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Feb.)

Correction: An earlier version of this review incorrectly noted that this book was part of an existing series.