Information technology consultant Robert McCabe continues his freelance evil-smiting against a bizarre trio of siblings.

In this distinct novel that defies easy categorization—part supernatural thriller, part (presumably fictionalized) memoir—McCabe’s brother-in-law, Tim, contacts him concerning a rash of heart-attack deaths in Portland, Ore. Computer hacking discovers a striking coincidence: Not only did the deceased share a cardiac surgeon, Dr. George Condon, but they all used the same financial planning firm, Condon and Chrome. Intrigued, McCabe secures a temporary job with Freightliner, providing legitimacy for his presence in the rainy city. Then, under the pretense of having chest pains, McCabe sees George Condon and immediately senses his evil. The doctor’s handshake produces an electrical jolt, and McCabe swears Condon’s eyes turned red and his skin green. Following the doctor’s recommendation to use his brother and sister’s financial planning firm, McCabe meets Lewis Condon, whose handshake produces a similar response. Because McCabe acquires the powers of the evil ones he encounters, he soon shares the Condons’ ability to read and alter a person’s heart rhythm. Combined with the metal-controlling powers he had previously acquired, McCabe’s new skill makes him a formidable adversary—much to the detriment of the Condon siblings. Although author McCabe’s engaging narrative voice carries readers effortlessly and enjoyably through this short suspense novel, the dialogue is often oddly stilted, a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent book. Superhero abilities aside, McCabe is an enviable protagonist; he’s easygoing and talented, with a remarkable nose for wine. Comparatively, secondary characters are one-dimensional, good or evil, although even the poorly developed characters don’t detract from the otherwise enthralling story. Enlisting his wife Shelley’s assistance to make the crusading a team effort, McCabe promises future installments in his evil-conquering series.

A unique tale well worth the suspension of disbelief.

A unique first-person narrative about an information technology expert’s gift and his war against unpunished evil.

Author and main character Robert McCabe intriguingly structures his narrative as an ambiguously true story of semimystical dimensions. A retired IT consultant, he gives a brief overview of his life, his marriages and divorce and then reveals that he has a powerful gift—that of punishing evil using his expertise with computers and research as well as his unique intuition for finding evil that has escaped the long but sometimes incompetent arm of the law. In the early ’80s, Robert meets a Michael, a Vietnam veteran with a penchant for random acts of aggression but who also wants to join the seminary. However, Michael has recently lost his position at the local Southern Baptist church. After 25 years, Robert checks up on his old diocese and reads that Michael is now the head honcho after the mysterious deaths of several key people who would have been obstacles in Michael’s path to the top. McCabe the author deftly changes techniques here, relating some of the narrative from Michael’s point of view, and readers learn a great deal about the world that McCabe creates. Michael has been blessed since childhood with masterful telekinetic powers. These powers made him an excellent soldier in Vietnam and he has used them with increasing purpose and brutality in the intervening years. McCabe suspects as much, though isn’t aware of the extent of Michael’s powers. He calls Michael, seemingly just to catch up, and convinces him that he is the man to consult on all that is IT in his new operations, but really McCabe is on the hunt. It’s all quite strange, the blending of author and narrator in a story of such fantastic and bloody dimension, but McCabe, despite his holy charge, struggles with the morality of his quest and the potential consequences of having to kill a friend—which is the perfect moral atmosphere for a novel about justice and ambition. The novel’s ending is unusually satisfying and will lead nicely into the following installments his readers will no doubt be anticipating. An offbeat narrative whose unconventionality will entertain and dismay daring readers.