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Fatal Threat
3 Stars

A series of random drive-by shootings has Lieutenant Sam Holland and her team racing against the clock to locate the perpetrators before they strike again.

Series note: Due to the ongoing character arcs, the books in this series should be read in order.

The investigation into the snipers is compelling and is reminiscent of the DC Sniper case. Unfortunately, it is undermined by several obvious plot holes. To begin with, the alleged motive is weak - (view spoiler)[one culprit is bored while the other wants revenge on the city but targets random people rather than city employees? (hide spoiler)]. Second, the idea that a (view spoiler)[retired police sniper would consent to kill innocent civilians without either shooting himself or the villains (hide spoiler)] is completely nonsensical. Finally, the behavior of the various police officers in this series is getting worse. Aside from Sam and her unprofessional conduct, there is (view spoiler)[Stahl, Ramsey and now Conklin and Offenbach (hide spoiler)]. The Chief has obviously lost control of his people, and someone needs to come in to clean the house ASAP!

In terms of the characters, the Avery, Shelby, Sam triangle is finally being put to rest. However, the revelation that Avery's obsession is because Sam (view spoiler)[resembles a former love interest (hide spoiler)] lacks foundation and is more than a little strange. There are also updates on Freddie and Elin, and of course, Nick and Sam deal with the dilemma of the President's knowledge of his son's actions. The addition of Cameron Green to the homicide division is no surprise. It looks like he will be a good fit.

All in all, this is an improvement on some of the more recent books in the series. Hopefully, the trend will continue.