The Program by James Swain

Goodreads | Eric_W Welch (Forreston, IL)'s review of The Program:


Part of Swain's Jack Carpenter series --I was introduced to Swain with the excellent Valentino books-- Carpenter doesn't make an appearance until about a third into the book. The FBI agent working on the case recommends to a newly in charge agent, Rachel Vick, that she seek Carpenter's advice as one especially knowing about missing persons, abductions, and serial killers, but also as someone more interest in "justice" than in the "law."  (Ah, those wanting to make that distinction rearing their ugly torsos since, in my opinion, they should not be separate and to permit individuals to define what constitutes "justice" is dangerous, indeed.)

I have enjoyed some of Swain's other books, particularly his "grifter" series. This one, while a fast read that holds the interest, seemed wildly implausible, with a convict in virtual solitary running a serial killer on the outside who recruits to killing through the "program," which seemed to be hardly novel or unusual. And yet the implausible is intermixed with the prosaic but little actual investigation. And the Danni business.  Didn't buy it.  But the cookie business was interesting (sorry, you'll have to read the book to see how that fits in.)


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