Under Pressure is the second book to feature Lucas Page, but the first I've read.

The opening is at the Guggeheim, where a ton of very wealthy people are present at a party for a high-tech environmental cleaning company (think fracking sites, and the like), with a multibillion dollar IPO looming. All seems rather genteel until a thermobaric bomb ignites, vaporizing the people and the art, leaving the building itself relatively intact.

Brett Kehoe, Special Agent In Charge/Manhattan, faced with the daunting task of sorting out 700+ dead and solving the mystery of why anyone would want to kill them, calls on ex-FBI agent, and current instructor at Columbia, Lucas Page to assist. Page is reluctant, but finally agrees, and we are whisked off to an almost nonstop ride of bombings, close calls, and mysteries that deepen as more people die.

At the heart of the mystery seems to be the Hockney brothers, William and Seth, and their sprawling megacorp. Are the bombings simply a statement against their companies, or is something more personal the core of it? While I have some issues with overly-complex conspiracies, and the habit, often, of main characters heading out into danger on their own, without telling anyone, to see if their reasoning/guess is correct about the bad guy, overall this was not a book killer.

Page, who lost a leg, arm, and eye in something he calls the Event, has a genius-level ability to instantly calculate areas, distances, see connections where others see none, and apparently possesses an eidetic memory. It reminded me quite a bit of the TV series Numb3rs. He is not terribly patient with people he views as stupid, is cranky a lot of times, and can be bitingly sarcastic. I liked him immensely.

Teasing out the mystery becomes more and more dangerous the closer Page gets to the truth, and in the end becomes, for him, a calculation of odds. To say more would give away too much. I will say this, though: be aware of the handcuffs. Chekov's pistol has never been more apt.

Solid four stars.

Note: while there is enough backstory to know what has come before, I would suggest that if you intend to read the first book (City of Windows), you do that first before reading this. There's a spoiler in this book for the last - it's a blink and you miss it thing, but it's there.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur for the reading copy.

I do not regret reading Under Pressure. It kept me waiting and wanting to see "whodunit", but, story-wise, it was not-very-good to mediocre. The main character, Lucas Page, is over-the-top arrogant, irritable, and irascible. He disdains everything and everyone, and the whole "special gift thing" is simply not credible. Added to that, there was not a single lovable, cheerable, attractive, or even sympathetic character in the entire book. The ineptitude of the FBI, at least in this case, was totally not credible. While today's FBI may be a lot of things, they are not inept. Finally, there were much better potential culprits than the one that eventually resolved (cannot discuss without spoilers). I was left disappointed. For me, this is an "OK if stuck in an airport" book.

An explosive look at the lengths a person will go for revenge. Lucas Page is drawn back into the world of the FBI after an explosion. It opens up doors for new nightmares after his own accident a decade ago. He is a genius at figuring things out. The story is edgy and takes us through a series of twists and turns as they chase clues to see who the bad guy is. It takes it all the to the last few pages to figure out who has been killing so many people and what the motive behind it all has been which is truly a genius move.

Dr. Lucas Page is an unlikely hero. He’s an astrophysicist, an author, a double amputee with only one eye and a retired F.B.I. agent. He’s also a mathematical genius who has the ability to analyze numbers and see complicated patterns in seconds. It turns out that he is exactly what the F.B.I. needs.

Explosions rock New York City. First, a thermobaric bomb detonates and literally cooks 702 people attending an environmentally aware tech company’s celebration at the Guggenheim Museum. The next bomb destroys an internet hub. Then individuals in the world of finance are targeted. As F.B.I. agents race to solve these horrific crimes and protect their own men from a killer, as always Lucas looks for patterns. How are these bombings linked together? How is the super wealthy Hockney family connected? Is there more than one bomber? As violent acts escalate, Lucas barely manages to stay one step ahead of an unseen enemy who is twisted by hate.

This is not the typical action hero read. This is a thoughtful, complex thriller full of interesting facts about bombs and explosives - nothing is simple. I loved the victims’ own stories about how they what they were doing immediately before the explosions. All the characters were well described and totally believable, especially Agents Angela Whittaker and Brian Kehoe. Robert Pobi is a fantastic, talented writer and Under Pressure gets 5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Robert Pobi for this ARC.

This was a constant bomb blowing up everything almost every chapter. Who is doing this? Dr. Page with his mathematical way of thinking is called in by the FBI to figure out the solution. Unique characters and crime drama. "A copy of this book was provided by St Martin's Press via Net Galley with no requirements for a review. Comments here are my honest opinion."

Under Pressure by Author Robert Pobi Is the second book in the Lucas Page Series

First of all I would recommend reading the first book in the series - City of Windows, to get a sound start with the characters, and overall tone to the books.

This story begins with an explosion at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City, and the pace does not let up throughout the entire book

The main character Dr. Lucas Page, Is almost super hero like with the amount of personal danger and life threatening incidents that he is exposed to, especially since he has several existing handicaps

I did like the book, but at times I felt like the story really pushed the button in regards to believability and non stop destruction and massive explosions that occur.

Thank you to Robert Pobi, St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book to read and review with my honest opinions.

#UnderPressure #NetGalley

Wow. Action-packed. Page-turning thriller. Best thriller I've read in a long time. It was really hard to put down! Now on to the first Lucas Page story!

4.5★
“No system—and that includes a series of crimes—is intrinsically random; the observer just has an imperfect understanding of how said system operates. If you see something that appears to be random, you’re missing data.”

Lucas Page is a different sort of observer – “very few people can guess the number of jelly beans in a jar like you can.”

This starts off with a bang, an exceptionally big one, followed by seemingly random ones, so random that Lucas Page, retired, war-weary, one-eyed, prosthetic-arm-and-leg-wearing father of five adopted kids is called back into action with the FBI. Got all that? Retired!

But again, he can’t resist a puzzle. He is an astrophysicist with a gift, which seems a little more extraordinary in this book than the first. He’s not like those people who stand at the scene of a crime and intuitively (magically) sense what took place. No, his unique understanding is more like a person unravelling something to see how it was constructed – including a crime scene.

It’s math, chemistry, physics. Patterns.

“So he closed his eyes, forced himself to forget where he was, and flipped the switch. Then he opened his eyes. He no longer saw color. Or texture. Or a room where too many people had died. What he saw was a space reduced to numerical values. It was an automatic process and it hit him in the brain like a fist of ice. Everything morphed into numbers, numerical representations generated by some hidden mental algorithm that only he recognized as having quantitative values.”

I must say quickly that his missing eye and limbs are nothing to do with his brain power, although it certainly adds to his mystique when he starts asking questions. He looks for what's missing in the data, the details that have been left out. It occurs to me that that's also what we notice about Lucas - what isn't there - his missing pieces (and his replacement parts).

Bombs, billionaires, and backlash against technology. The “Machine Bomber” seems to be attacking technology, and in typical American style, “online digilantes” start agitating on Facebook, causing more trouble.

This is full of ironic humour, which I always enjoy. The Luddites railing against technology set up Facebook groups, and Instagram and Twitter accounts to garner support. Meanwhile, see if you notice this small throwaway line in the FBI boss’s office.

“When they got to Kehoe’s office, he was on the phone. He waved them in, cut his conversation short with a curt ‘Okay’, then scribbled some notes on a yellow legal pad with a fountain pen the size of a wrench.

“Page, Whitaker,” he said as he capped the pen and placed it on the desktop.”

I am sure that the author added this for his own amusement, as he eschews most technology himself and has too many fountain pens, according to his website. https://www.robertpobi.com/about

But I noticed it and enjoyed it. Imagine the digilantes with only notepads. There are many digs, some less subtle than others, about the current state of affairs in the U.S., but it isn’t a political novel – just a place he can air a few grievances publicly. Mostly it’s a complex, convoluted thriller that kept me reading.

Pobi has an easy, articulate style with good pace and no cringe-worthy moments that I can think of. By that, I mean “grammatical” moments – the descriptions of the action and aftermath will make you cringe.

I have to admit I wasn’t as interested in the whys and hows in this as I was in the first Lucas Page, City of Windows, but perhaps that’s because a rifle is easier for me to understand than bombs. How Lucas makes it to the end is as much of a mystery as anything, but I’m glad he will be back to fight another day.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the preview copy from which I’ve quoted.

What a ride! It starts at the beginning and doesn't slow down until the end. Luke is a guy who has a computer-like brain and doesn't stop until he finds the end of the problem. Even if his life is at risk. When over 700 people are blown up, the FBI calls on Luke to help them figure out a pattern. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to the bombing. Then when others, who don't seem to be connected in any way, are bombed too, Luke has to work over time to see the pattern. Can he figure it out in time? How many more people will be killed before they figure it out?

4.5 riveting rousing stars!

What an exciting fun book! This story will keep you turning those pages and enjoying every minute of the book two of the Lucas Page saga!

There's been a huge explosion at the Guggenheim museum and many are dead, a business venture destroyed and although hoping that this might be the only bombing, the authorities and the stalwart, Lucas Page, know that this is not the end, but certainly the beginning. Many of the glitterati are dead, the titans of business are gone, and yet with all the bloodshed, the Guggenheim museum still stands. This bomber knows his/her trade and the hunt is on to find the mastermind before he or she wrecks more havoc.

Lucas is back in part two, and he is indeed a fascinating character and although I have not read book one, (a item I will definitely remedy), being disabled added a extra layer onto his person. Hee is a mastermind, a genius astrophysicist, who can read a crime scene with such precision and aplomb. He sees patterns in occurrences and numbers, things that escape the sight of most, Lucas can see and fathom. Indeed, he is in danger to what remains of his life and limb, on the trail of this malicious killer who seems to have planned everything to a minute detail.

As Lucas is recruited by Brett Kehoe, the FBI’s special agent in charge of Manhattan, the task seems massive as they try to fathom why over seven hundred people have been murdered in the Guggenheim, ultimately followed by a slew of others. What could be the motive, the possible reason why so many have lost their lives to what seems to be a true mastermind of the macabre. Is is terrorism with its cast of possible groups responsible or could it be a vendetta against some very wealthy billionaires?

How Lucas balances this tragedy, his family's safety, and the many who just might be involved is the gist if this action packed book. I definitely recommend this book as a quick engrossing read that possess all the elements that keeps the reader on their toes and brings us to a conclusion that is both satisfying and realistic. Can't wait to read what Lucas Page will be up to next.

Thank you to Robert Pobi, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this electrifying book due out August 4, 2020.

Under Pressure is my first Dr. Lucas Page novel and it is a doozy of nonstop, cover to cover action and carnage. From the Guggenheim Museum blowing up to bombs exploding one after another, the body count just keeps climbing. Lucas has already given an arm and a leg for his job but the latest one puts him in danger's bullseye on more than one occasion. The astrophysicist is called back into the fold of the FBI from his college position to connect the dots on the bombings. Short on social graces, Lucas sees patterns where no one else can and runs down the truth his way and quickly worms his way into the reader's heart. Pulse pounding action with unexpected twists and turns, the story had me reading way passed my bedtime. Now all Dr. Lucas Page's novels will be added to my must read shelf. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Fun, fast-paced read. Very interesting and unusual lead character.

Second in the series, but it stands on its own well enough.

If you like action titles, you'll like this one.

I don't know that I would have liked this in another context, but it wasn't a great story for me. The characters were token and poorly written and I found the main character condescending and rude, and not in an entertaining. way.

Who would ever cast an astrophysicist as the hero of a story? Dr Lucas Page is the most unique protagonist to grace the pages of a crime thriller. An irascible, somewhat anti-social curmudgeon that somehow remains almost lovable. By training Lucas is a mathematician, astrophysicist, and university professor, who also is a best selling author and former FBI agent. He was severely injured in an accident many years ago ... which he terms the Event. As a result, he was left with a prosthetic arm , leg and one eye. He has a unique skill set ... unlike any other ... he can scan a crime scene and his brain engages and puts everything into a geometry of numbers and patterns while perceiving connections and meaning amongst the data that no one else can. In his mind he can see dozens of relevant patterns, while most would only see chaos. He is coaxed back into the fray by FBI leadership. A thrermobarbic bomb explosion has essentially obliterated or melted more that 700 people attending a gala event at Manhattan's Guggenheim Museum... while leaving the building relatively intact. Horizon Dynamics was the company throwing the bash in celebration of the next mornings IPO offering ... estimated to be traded for a half a billion dollars. This private company specialized in environmental risk assessment and the rejuvenation of ecosystems damaged by industry .... hardly expected to be the target of terrorism! Lucas arrives at the scene and sets in motion his unique skills of investigation. Shortly after the explosion a local TV anchor receives an email that is a virtual duplicate of the manifesto issued by the Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski .... a rant against the evils of technology .... hardly an original thought. As the bombings escalate and the body count soars, Dr Lucas Page is charged with making some sense of the apparent random attacks. In his unique way, he attempts to find meaning and connections with which at first appear to be random bombings. Is there a spider at the center of this web? What could possibly be the motive?
Robert Pobi skillfully unravels a complex multi-faceted and twisted narrative that is laced with humor ... both understated and at time sarcastic. Special Agent Agela Whitaker proves to be an excellent and complimentary partner in this most unusual investigative duo. To say this is a page turner is both cliche and inaccurate ... I found myself hydroplaning through Pobi's humorous and suspenseful prose. Excuse me while I go download "City Of Windows" ... the first Dr Lucas Page thriller. Robert Pobi is now firmly entrenched in my Writers To Follow List. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Marin's Press for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review .... This gem is definitely a 5 Star read. ( at readers remains.com )

This is the second Lucas Page book by Robet Pobi, I devoured the first book and did not think it could be surpasses, I was totally wrong.

The book opens with a black tie event at the Guggenheim hosted by Horizon Dynamics, the great and the good of Millionaire's Row are in attendance when bang a massive explosion occurs and people are literally wiped out, but the building is still left standing.

Every law enforcement agency is on site but it's the FBI's Brett Kehoe who is in charge, he needs help right away from someone who has a mini computer for a mind. There is only person who can help, so Brett just needs to persuade him.......

Lucas Page, lecturer in astrophysics, former FBI employee until a bomb took two limbs from him, is currently on holiday at the beach with his wife, 6 foster children and Lemmy the dog, they all need to be mentioned as they all do bring something to the book. Their leisurely stroll along the beach is spoilt by the appearance of Kehoe and so it begins.

This was a fascinating book to read, had great characters, especially Special Agent Whittaker, who I think showed more of herself in this book, (PS I love the nickname she gives to Lucas). Many indictments on society's reliance on smartphones, internet etc, and also the way big business has fingers in many pies.

An in-depth story but it never tried to be too clever.

Highly recommended and look forward to the next one in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press for giving the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review

It was only supposed to be two days of analyzing the results of an explosion for the FBI. Once Dr. Lucas Page sees the destruction at the Guggenheim Museum he knows that he has been drawn into the investigation and that it is only the first with more to come. The Guggenheim was the sight of a gala celebrating the IPO for Horizon Dynamics. The explosion killed over seven hundred people, including the management team for the company.

Page is an astrophysicist, college professor and former FBI employee with unique talents. He has the ability to retain and break down information, find patterns and mentally reconstruct scenes and events. When he is brought in by Brett Kehoe, the agent in charge of Manhattan, he is an outsider and not readily accepted by the team. When further explosions occur, they are once again tied to Horizon and the Hockneys, two elderly brothers who are heavily invested in the company. Is it a question of who benefits from this destruction or is there another reason for the sudden spate of bombings.? A letter received by the media calls for the destruction of technology, with the FBI dubbing the person responsible as the Machine Bomber.

Robert Pobi puts a human touch in his story by preceding each bombing with a look at the everyday activities of someone who will fall victim to these attacks, whether a doorman or a passing cab driver. He grabs the reader with the first bombing and the tension escalates as Page and an associate race to find answers. This is a book that you can not put down once you read the opening pages. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing my review of this book.

Dr. Lucas Page Is A Mathematical Genius

The number of people killed in the explosion at the Guggenheim Museum was staggering, 702, mostly movers and shakers of industry. There are more questions than answers, and Brett Kehoe, Special Agent in Charge of Manhattan, knows just the right person to find the answers. Dr. Lucas Page has a unique gift, he can reconstruct a crime scene in his mind and tell you exactly what happened and how it was done.

Dr. Page is retired from the FBI, now a university professor, and is quite content to live a quiet life with his wife and five adopted children. You could call him a reluctant hero. With a marvelous sense of humor. That is, until the huge helicopter landed on the beach near his home. The FBI brought in the heavy-hitters to convince him that no one can see patterns like he can and they need his expertise in order to solve this case quickly. Agent Kehoe just wants Dr. Page to do a walk-through, get a feel for what happened, basic physics and chemistry he said. One day, maybe two, then you’re back home. Right. But Dr. Page knew he needed to do this, not realizing at the time the Guggenheim was just the beginning…

I am absolutely taken by Lucas Page. To say he is brilliant is an understatement, and he has the most wonderful sense of humor that has ever been written into a character. His comments are direct and sometimes a little risqué but always on point. Though the theme of the book is serious I found myself chuckling out loud at times. I haven’t read the first book in the series, but there was enough background provided that I didn’t feel that I missed anything. I highly recommend Under Pressure to anyone who loves a good mystery. Robert Pobi has created a marvelous novel with great characters and lots of false trails to keep you guessing who dunnit right until the very end.

Thank you St. Martin’s press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an advance copy for my honest review.

Drum roll, please. I found my first fictional character book crush of 2020, Lucas Page. He is the main character in Under Pressure and while his backstory is heartbreaking, it is his love for his family and few friends, and his dedication to doing the right thing that made me want him to be my best friend. Lucas is a complicated man who has survived a lot, and I don't just mean bad hair days( though he does have those too).
Lucas is a former FBI agent who returns as a consultant when 702 people are killed in an explosion at the Guggenheim Museum. It is a horrific tragedy and Lucas and seemingly every law enforcement division on the plant work to figure out who is responsible. You would think that would be the extent of this madman's agenda, but whoever is responsible is just getting started. The action was non-stop as more places and people become targets, and Lucas might not limp away from this one.
So I am just going to say it again, I loved this character! Having lived through a bombing that almost killed him, he is torn between wanting to assist and wanting to stay far away from this nightmare. Fiercely loyal to his family and a few select friends, his unique skill set might mean the difference between figuring out the motive that connects these murders. Lucas is physically damaged, has nothing good to say about most people, and yet, he persists even though the cost winds up being pretty darn high.
Shout out to his wife Erin and their adopted children. They don't play a large part in the story, but his relationships with them show his human side. Also, his former partner Whitaker who defines what the word friend means to Lucas. A fast-paced thriller that had my Kindle smoking as I furiously flipped the pages during an oppressive New York heatwave. I might also add that I quit grousing about being stuck at home due to this pandemic, as I forget the limitations of my world as I was so engrossed in this book.
Thank you Joseph Brosnan for the widget! I didn't realize this was the second book in the Lucas Page story, but I will be getting a copy of City of Windows! This worked as a standalone, but I want to learn more about my best book buddy, Lucas.4.5 stars.

A great addition to the series as the author seems to be channeling Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in his protagonist who displays skills unseen since the great Sherlock Holmes himself. Working with very little evidence, he is able to reconstruct the murder science and put it together in a way that makes the reader wonder, “How come I didn’t figure that out myself?”

Former foster child, FBI agent and current astrophysics professor Lucas Page is back in action in this novel, the second in the series from Robert Pobi. I thought Pobi’s first Lucas Page novel, City of Windows, was excellent, but I think this second one is even better, perhaps twice as good!

In this novel, Page is called in by the FBI to help investigate a series of explosions in NYC, the first of which occurs in the Guggenheim Museum and kills 702 people. As the very complex plot line unfolds, Page’s almost superhuman mind again comes into play as he is able to calculate — almost beyond belief — the mathematical aspects of an event so that he can almost go backwards in time to reconstruct what happened.

Pobi’s writing is both excellent and intellectual, and his characters — particularly Page — are realistic, interesting, and very well developed. Under Pressure is a high-octane, action-packed thriller that starts off with a bang (literally and figuratively) and never lets up. It is a fascinating, thought-provoking, and compulsive page-turner, and a simply wonderful read. I cannot wait for the third book in this series!