The plan had been set in motion, and the night’s events were about to be captured for research purposes.

A lady of the night had lured a potential client back to a nondescript apartment in the tenderloin district of San Francisco. She dropped something in her date’s glass before the evening progressed further. Their encounter devolved into bedlam shortly after the gentleman imbibed his drink. A psychotic mindset overtook him, and he assaulted the young woman while an armed man helplessly watched from the other side. Before the night was over, two people were dead.

"This latest book proves Kageyama’s continued proficiency as a mystery writer with a bright future ahead."

Kats Takemoto is a private investigator who loves his home in the Bay Area but knows the darkness that often clouds its horizon. A friend reaches out to Kats, asking him to look into the double murder to see what information he can shake loose. Kats possesses an affable personality that puts him in high regard with both upper- and underworld types. However, the circumstances he is investigating are unlike anything he has seen before, and they connect to a secret program being run by the CIA dubbed “MK Ultra.” Kats will need to rely on more than his wits to untangle the nightmare in which he has become embroiled as multiple parties are interested in what he finds out.

MIDNIGHT CLIMAX is the thrilling second book in Peter Kageyama’s Kats Takemoto series and is just as riveting as the opening installment, HUNTERS POINT. The plot begins with a botched intelligence operation, and the vigorous narrative refuses to abate as Kats is drawn into the dark netherworld of the covert operators. Kats is a fighter, and he illustrates that with each case he handles. However, he is not a lone wolf as his girlfriend, Molly, and best friend, Shig, always have his back. Kageyama infuses his stories with more than a bit of historical flavor and even more so with engaging characters.

This latest book proves Kageyama’s continued proficiency as a mystery writer with a bright future ahead.