Robert Pobi has had a nice career with novels ranging from straight horror to crime fiction. However, he really has found himself with the creation of Dr. Lucas Page, a character who is so unique and well drawn out that you need to build a series around him. Well, Pobi has done just that. CITY OF WINDOWS introduced us to Page, and now we get to spend more quality time with him in UNDER PRESSURE.

Page is brilliant and irascible, loving but callous, sometimes all in the same moment. He bears the permanent scars of a bombing that took his hand and most of his leg, each of which has been replaced by very cool prosthetics. Since then, this former FBI agent has concentrated on teaching and sharing the knowledge that has made him a successful astrophysicist and college professor. He also has the ability to crunch numbers on a level that no one else can. This valuable skill allows him to see things from a completely different angle, which has made him the go-to person when situations get out of control.

"UNDER PRESSURE most certainly will have you guessing right up to the big finish. Just like its predecessor, it moves at a breakneck pace that barely allows you to catch your breath as the action moves from one edge-of-your-seat moment to the next."

This is the first novel I’ve read that references COVID-19, which made me feel good and not so alone with the virus. A private gala at New York City’s Guggenheim Museum ends in tragedy when a bomb goes off, killing over 700 attendees. We then go all the way out to Montauk, Long Island, where Page and his family are enjoying their summer residence. That is until a chopper carrying Brett Kehoe, Special Agent in Charge of Manhattan, lands on their property. Kehoe would not be taking Page away from his loved ones if the FBI did not fear that something much bigger was being planned.

A threatening letter is received at a news station, supposedly from the bomber, who makes claims rejecting technology and asking people to get behind this. Page recognizes that it was written not by a person but by a machine. The question still remains: Where will the next attack be? Page teams up with Special Agent Alice Whitaker, who he worked with in CITY OF WINDOWS, and they make a great pair. The bad news is that once the bombings start up again, they do not stop. Everything from the homes of hedge fund managers to seemingly random residences in Brooklyn, Queens and upstate New York is victimized.

At this point, Page believes that you just need to follow the money, and it will place you at the doorstep of the culprits. Initially, this takes them to billionaire brothers William and Seth Hockney. Certain ties can be made between them and some of the bombings, but not enough to make a case against them. It gets to the point where the structure of the book runs itself almost like a classic murder mystery. Just when you think you might have an idea of who is responsible for all of this, that individual becomes a victim of the bomber. Page barely escapes with his life on more than one occasion, which makes you wonder if he will be around for the end of the novel.

UNDER PRESSURE most certainly will have you guessing right up to the big finish. Just like its predecessor, it moves at a breakneck pace that barely allows you to catch your breath as the action moves from one edge-of-your-seat moment to the next. Pobi has a great thing going here, and Lucas Page is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters in modern thriller fiction.