The Mile Marker Murders by C.W. Saari is a book for those of us who like multiple plot layers with varying complexity.
FBI Special Agent Tyler Bannister learns his friend and colleague Caleb Williamson is missing. Bannister has to collaborate with agents from Washington who need to know whether there is any chance Williamson defected to Russia. He cannot believe his old friend defected and fears the worst.
Adam Kush, the director of security at Global Waters Company calls the FBI. He received a demand note and a vial with an unknown substance. The demand is clear. Pay or else your water products will be poisoned. We learn about Adam’s company and the dynamics involved in keeping something on a need-to-know basis.
Around 15 months earlier, a plotting tennis player is scanning US security people and their partners in Vienna. Why? And then we meet Andre whose is scarred by past losses and has vowed revenge. He has a plan and it sets into motion a series of deaths. Are they related to Adam’s company or the FBI?
The story becomes a mix of various layers of betrayal. Some plans are cunning and expertly executed. Some are so obvious from the start that you think there has to be more. And this is where I felt a bit disappointed.
- The “biological agent thread” starts very promising but ends on an average note.
- The Vienna based story is well-thought out as to who did what to whom and indeed, the order can be switched around. However, the ending that needs political correctness in the story made me long to learn more about the family history of the people involved. When you mention relics from the Romanovs, I am at the edge of my seat. I did not stay there though.
- Andre’s motive is understandable but needs a more in-depth reasoning. I guess that I miss a clear motive aside from revenge. Grief can definitely make us act out but the scale of Andre’s revenge demands more explanation.
- Lastly, Bannister does not come across as a man ready to move on after being widowed. His new relationship feels unnatural. Again, this is just my opinion.
Saari has written a good book with various sections that were chilling to the bone. I do look forward to read more from him. I received a free copy of this book through the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My other book reviews are here.