I’m always excited for a new book from Jeffery Deaver. Whether it’s his Lincoln Rhyme thrillers or his Colter Shaw series (the basis for the hit CBS show “Tracker”), Deaver never fails to deliver. Now he has teamed up with Isabella Maldonado to pen FATAL INTRUSION, the opening installment of a new series. I was unfamiliar with Maldonado, but after reading this highly entertaining novel, I plan to remedy that oversight as soon as possible.

Carmen Sanchez is a stalwart Homeland Security agent who typically plays by the rules. However, the gloves come off when her sister, Selina, is attacked while leaving a coffee shop by a person of interest in other violent incidents. The antagonist, Dennison Fallow, has a tattoo of a black widow spider on the inside of his wrist. We first witness him bludgeoning a nature watcher with a shovel before tracking down Selina.

"Deaver’s way with words and plotting and Maldonado’s FBI training are on full display here, and their insights permeate every level of the story. Dennison Fallow is a villain not to be trifled with, which makes this extremely clever cat-and-mouse game so intriguing."

Sanchez quickly becomes frustrated by the limited parameters she is forced to operate within and immediately recognizes that this evil perpetrator will not be taken down by conventional means. To that end, she solicits the assistance of Jake Heron, a working professor and master of private security. Sanchez loves that Heron feels that rules are like posted speed limits, merely suggestions for those who don’t know how to play the game correctly. This attitude makes him the ideal partner for her mission.

Having previously worked as an FBI agent, Sanchez is not one to let a case unfurl as she sits idly by. She has a hunter mentality that seeks to understand her adversary just enough so she can bring them down. When we meet Heron, he is teaching a class about the historical context of intrusion, which fits perfectly into the feeling he has that he himself is being intruded upon when he spies Sanchez sitting in on his lecture. They, of course, hit it off and have similar feelings about how to attack a case and handle those who are guilty of criminal trespassing and more.

Heron is probably my favorite character in the book because he has a unique way with words and, quite frankly, doesn’t give a flying fig how anyone reacts to his very outspoken demeanor. His bond with Sanchez is special and really makes the narrative sing. While we know the identity of the killer from the jump, what makes this tale so special is how our protagonists go about discovering his motives to eventually stop him from hurting more people. They recognize from the get-go that a serial killer without a clearly defined motive is the most dangerous of all. Deaver’s way with words and plotting and Maldonado’s FBI training are on full display here, and their insights permeate every level of the story.

Dennison Fallow is a villain not to be trifled with, which makes this extremely clever cat-and-mouse game so intriguing. I applaud combining the talents of Deaver and Maldonado and look forward to revisiting these memorable characters in the very near future.