PAST DUE

In Brandon’s thriller, a logical FBI agent teams up with an intuitive psychic to find a kidnapped child in a case that may be connected to a decades-old case.

It’s 1989, and Ryan Cornell has been on desk duty at the bureau’s San Francisco branch since an abduction case he was investigating went horribly wrong six months prior, resulting in a woman’s death. Now, the same kidnapper, Thomas Jackson, has returned, this time victimizing Steven Taylor, an 11-year-old. Steven’s wealthy grandfather Jake insists that the FBI bring psychic Annie Johnson into the investigation. Cornell’s and Johnson’s opinions about the supernatural may clash, but they agree that rescuing Steven is their top priority. As the case continues, Johnson has visions of a past life in 1906, during which her own child was kidnapped. That long-ago case illuminates the present one, but time is ticking away, as the kidnapper has given Steven’s family a deadline of 24 hours to deliver a $50 million ransom or else he’ll murder the boy. But Jackson, a Vietnam vet, also wants fame and fortune, and he’s willing to do anything to get it. Working with him is Mai King, a ruthless, lawless woman: “This was going to be a good partnership,” Jackson thinks at one point. “If not, he could always kill her.” The cast of characters in Brandon’s thriller is eclectic: Cornell and Johnson’s interactions as skeptic and believer are fun and engaging, and Jackson is a remarkably complex villain. However, other minor characters feel underdeveloped, and some dialogue feels a bit forced and unnatural. There are also numerous points when the story stops dead to provide exposition, slowing the brisk pace. However, the author wonderfully weaves the 1989 and 1906 storylines together, effectively developing the twisty plot.

An often enjoyable novel with surprising turns.