Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Phantom
SERIES: The Mind Hacker
AUTHOR: AJ Rose
PUBLISHER: The Grim Writer Press
LENGTH: 392 pages
RELEASE DATE: September 13, 2024
BLURB:
How do you catch a killer whose playground spans the United States?
FBI Special Agent Tracey Smith is barely back on his feet when Behavioral Analysis Unit 4 is dropped into the heart of another case.
This one proves a brilliant agent’s hunch was right:
This perpetrator hunts a huge geographical area.
The signature is subtle, the deaths just unique enough to tie them together.
Future victims are impossible to warn.
Supervisory Special Agent Jon Anderson is struggling. At work, Smith is his talented protégé. At home, Tracey is his boyfriend. They’re forced to hide to save their jobs, but Tracey is nobody’s dirty secret.
Jon wants to be out as a couple outside of work. So why can’t he let Tracey all the way in? Has the Ice Man been in control for too long to release his secrets now?
For a man compulsively drawn to darkness, how far will the lies and subterfuge go?
The Phantom is book 2 of The Mind Hacker series, and isn’t easily understood without reading book 1, The Family Man. The story follows Jon and Tracey, the grumpy/sunshine main characters through hurt/comfort and forbidden romance situations all the way through to their eventual happily-ever-after.
Content warning: The Mind Hacker series contains themes of dark violence, including off-page sexual assault, psychological manipulation, narcissism, and other disturbing themes.
Every word and cover of every book published by this author has been crafted by a human and always will be.
REVIEW:
Note: This is the second book in this series and doesn’t work as a standalone. The narrative picks up directly after the first book and they should be read in order.
Jon and Tracey are back in Virginia and FBI HQ. Tracey has been staying with Jon while he recovers from his injury after being shot by the perp of their last case that nearly cost Tracey his life multiple times. As such, the physical recovery is ongoing but the emotional recover is also still a WIP. Tracey has nightmares and intrusive thoughts about the events of that case hat still affect him and in turn, Jon. But they are making progress both personally and professionally.
Then of course another case is dropped on their team. And it’s local so that being to investigate. Does it have a connection to other unsolved cases? Agent Sarena Mercado thinks so, but they need hard evidence. There are aspects of this case that hit close to home for Jon and Tracey especially. Both men are good at their jobs 🙂
I really don’t want to spoil the mystery here so I’ll just say that the focus of this book is how Jon and Tracey are becoming a couple in private while acting as effective team members in their professional life. This mystery is intense in a different way than the first book, but it’s still very well written and I think quite topical to the current state of our country.
Another winner from author AJ Rose. This second installment in this latest series focuses on Jon and Tracey’s building relationship while also investigating another case – this time local. But the ramifications are broader. The secondary characters, particularly Sarena and Perry again support these characters and the larger story. I really enjoyed getting to see these two men work on their relationship. There are still secrets to uncover here and I really hope this series continues. There is a great balance between the private and public lives in this series. This series is so engrossing and I cannot wait for the next book. Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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