Book Title:  Shakedown
Author: Joel Goldman
Publishing Company: Pinnacle Books
Year:  2008
# of Pages: 397
ISBN-13:  978-0-7860-1610-5 
ISBN-10:  0-7860-1610-8
$6.99 U.S.
$8.49 Canada 

4 Stars

Reviewer:  Deborah Ground Buckner (Kansas Correspondent - USA) 

In this season when "the big read" has focused on The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett, it is nice to see there are still authors providing exciting tales of crime and the done-it-all, seen-it-all law enforcement officers who work to solve them.  Most recently, I've enjoyed Shakedown by Kansas City author Joel Goldman.

Goldman, an attorney with years of trial practice, knows of what he writes.  He brings a detail to a criminal investigation and evidence that is spot on.  Goldman's past novels (The Last Witness; Cold Truth; Motion to Kill; and Deadlocked) all featured protagonist Lou Mason, a trial attorney; this latest work introduces Jack Davis, a seasoned FBI agent.  Jack's life is in crisis.  His wife has left him and is in the process of obtaining a divorce, his daughter is involved with another FBI agent, he still carries the guilt of a son's murder and kidnapping, and in the middle of investigating a multiple-murder case, he is placed on medical leave because of uncontrollable tremors. 

As any devoted reader of crime novels knows, an unexplained medical condition isn't enough to keep a determined investigator off the case.  With the help of Kate Scranton, a consultant who is an expert at reading facial expressions (and the one Jack's wife believes to be "the other woman"--whether or not she is in fact), Jack continues to try to put the pieces all together.

Real crime buffs will find the technical discussions of eye witness reliability and clues from facial expressions of interest.  Detective fans will enjoy watching Jack solve the puzzle while, as is the case in any good thriller, trying to keep himself and those close to him safe from harm.  It is a definite page-turner with plenty of plot twists to keep everyone guessing along with Jack. 

Those familiar with the Kansas City area will delight in the geographical references and bits of local history.  For readers unfamiliar with the territory, I can guarantee if Goldman says there is an IHOP at 119^th and Metcalf, it is there.  Goldman tells a great story, but he leaves enough loose ends in Jack's life to whet the appetite for more adventures in future books.