Book Review: The Grid

Author Harry Hunsicker has just released a new book in the Jon Cantrell mysteries series. This new one “The Grid” winds a number of plots together to make an interesting read.

I have reviewed previous stories based on Cantrell as the hero. As with other books by this author some police procedures are not followed well. For the most part The Grid is grounded in a tad more reality that previous books. Then again a novel is a work of fiction so there is no need to ground it 100% in reality.

In this story Cantrell has been appointed as Sheriff of a rural Texas community. He is an ex-DEA agent and formerly worked in private security along with a stint doing some private military contractor work.

The story starts off with a murder at a seedy motel. For much of the book the story bounce between Sara, the killer from the motel and Cantrell. Also it does not take long for Cantrell to put the murder case aside to deal with a much larger issue.

Someone is damaging local power stations and causing blackouts. If the attacks keep happening a major swath of Texas could be without power, for weeks, maybe months. So Cantrell is pulled in to help federal investigators track the terrorist attacking the power grid.

As he works both cases Cantrell finds the murder at the hotel is linked to online dating sites for married people seeking affairs. At the same time Sara, the killer has information about the attacks on the power grid.

Along the way there are some double crosses and a few red herrings to keep the story fresh. While some of the realities of police procedure in this book are a tad off base. It is not like some books where it becomes a distraction.

Overall a fun read and worth picking up.

A free ebook version was provided via NetGalley for an unbiased review.