This is the second book featuring Dr Lucas Page and while certain events from book one are important to the story they are brought out by the author and allow the reader to understand those that are germane to the present novel. Dr page was working as an agent for the FBI when he became involved in a horrific accident. He lost the sight of one eye and required a prosthetist for his leg. But the accident did not rob him of a very peculiar talent that he had and retains. He can visualize a crime scene as if he were a bystander and break down any set of data at a glance.
Due to his disability he no longer works full time for the FBI but apparently he will become available if needed to help with certain crimes. The opening of the novel finds Lucas, his wife and children enjoying the seashore at a location far out on long island. The famed Guggenheim museum becomes the site of a bomb placed which does major damage to the building and kills a large amount of people. The museum had been closed to the public while hosting a leading tech company's private gala hosting a large group celebrating a forthcoming issue of stock. Other explosions, also caused, go off, and the FBI launches a full court investigation . In addition, Lucas Page is called to come in and help in the investigation using his special skills.
The action is structured like any normal detective story, although featuring descriptions of the enormous amount of fatalities coupled with gruesome looks at victims literally blown apart with their bodies in many areas. Lucas is shown using his not inconsiderable talents to solve the case with the help of a lady agent. He also calls on students he teaches at the university to help his efforts. It is probable that Mr. Pobi plans additional novels undoubtedly centered on more horrific crimes with Page leading the charge of his own small group of assistants.
The novel is entertaining, although, possibly more than a little difficult to take with the vivid descriptions of horrible deaths as part and parcel of the action.

This is Sherlock Holmes or Nero Wolfe for the modern thriller sensibility. Our hero, Lucas Page, is in the fine old tradition of Holmes - a genius impatient at the failings or lesser mortals matching wits with criminal masterminds; Page is so unlikable and difficult he ends up being kind of lovable.

The story is fast-paced and the book is hard to put down; the plot is non-stop, the body count is ridiculously high, and the stakes keep rising from a constant string of explosions. The FBI supporting cast is interesting - everyone slightly irritates everyone else, but they are focused enough on chasing the bad guys to function as a team.

All in all, an enjoyable thriller.

This is the second book in a series by the author. It is also the first novel by the author that I have read.  I found it to be engaging and written in a style that is fast paced making it a the quick read (read in less than three days). While there is enough background included to make this a stand alone book, reading the first one would be helpful in  getting up to speed on this one.

I received a free Kindle copy of this book courtesy of Net Galley and the publisher with the understanding that I would post a review on Net Galley, Goodreads, Amazon and my nonfiction book review blog. I also posted it to my Facebook  page.

So this book started out by recapping a lot of info from the first Lucas Page book & I wasn’t really a fan of it. I just felt like it wasn’t really necessary & wasted time jumping into the story. Once we got past all that & actually got into the story, I really enjoyed it! I loooovvveee the Lucas Page series I’m a big fan of the authors writing style. The story itself was interesting & with so many pieces of the puzzle, it was fun to try & piece everything together.

If you haven’t checked out the Lucas Page series, I highly recommend it!

This book was intense. I did not read the first on in the series so at first was unsure of what was going on. But I soon found my footing and the mystery and action ramped up. I felt I was in the story which shows for me, good writing.
I did not figure out who was behind the bombing until the very end and could not stop reading.
I am going to get the first book so I can have more background on the main characters. A Particularly good read. Thank you, Net Galley, for an advance copy for an honest review.

This novel was intellectually written, deep storyline, superb characters. It’s a long book but well worth the time and effort in reading, if your a fan of action mixes with mystery. This is my initial reading for this author and I will go back and read Lucas Pages earlier books.

Under Pressure is a high octane thrill of a ride. Author Robert Pobi has created a character with powers that make him unique among superman characters. He has a mathematical mind that can calculate beyond belief, and he can take a scene and view it backwards so that he ultimately watches it happen. From that he garners insights that help break cases. Too much? It depends. If you can get past that, you can really enjoy the novel, and I did.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

Good mystery thriller. I liked the plot and characters but lots of same descriptions of people and circumstances. Book needs tightening. Also many typos and words that have no meaning. I used kindle dictionary and most had nothing or were totally wrong. All in all was a good read and I will read others by him.

I'm sorry to say that Under Pressure (Robert Pobi) is the first Lucas Page novel I've read. Under Pressure is a stand alone story, I had no difficulties following along, but I wish I had been on the ride from the beginning! Excellent plot which keeps the reader guessing, and lots of edge of your seat moments. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy to review.

Under Pressure the new Lucas Page novel is stellar. Well written, excellent plot development and well Lucas. He is an invaluable asset to the FBI with his ability to see patterns and get to the bottom line . I thoroughly enjoyed this page turning mystery,

This was an extremely complex book in a lot of different ways. The number of characters is initially overwhelming and it takes quite a few pages to get them all straight. The main character is also very complex, both physically and mentally. Despite not being a "people person" he grows on you. The author has an excellent grasp of IT, math and left-brain thinking generally which can be challenging from those of us who favor the right side. Finally, the plot is complex. Really really complex. Every time you think you've got a single aspect figured out, you'll find that you got it completely wrong a few pages later. I could not put the book down. When I got to the end I felt a real sense of accomplishment for surviving the mental gymnastic routine Mr Pobi put me through.

Dr. Lucas Page helps investigate crimes by using his extreme pattern-recognition ability—a combination of perfect recall and a Rain Main-like facility with numbers. Except that instead of instantly counting fallen toothpicks (“82, 82, 82…246”), he is able to take in all the elements of a crime scene and instantly see what’s missing, or what’s out of place. Given information on multiple cases, he has no trouble finding the common denominator. Of course, as these things usually go, he has the interpersonal skills of a fried egg. He drives a lot of his FBI colleagues crazy, but he somehow manages a marriage and kids and is occasionally unexpectedly nice to someone who needs it. He’s matched up with a perfect partner in Special Agent Whitaker, who doesn’t take him all the seriously and knows exactly how to handle him. All of this is fantastic—it has all the ingredients you want in a new series. The stakes are high, with multiple bomb attacks in NY, including one that obliterates hundreds of people at the Guggenheim in an instant. The investigation moves quickly and at times takes amusing turns; I definitely did not expect to find myself rooting for a rat.

The one thing that kept this from being 5 stars for me was that some of the description and exposition slowed the pace and got in the way of the action. It would have been preferable for small bits of information about Page’s past to be parceled out while he was doing something, and we don’t need to be told quite so many times how stupid and misguided people are, or the consequences of their paranoid conspiracy theories. Even the crimes–so brutal and so numerous–are individually described in a way that feels almost as long as the investigation.

I plan to go back and read the first book of this series. I look forward to future investigations featuring Lucas Page—and maybe one of his daughters, who at age 3 managed to make a huge mess that turned out to follow a perfect underlying pattern…

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a digital advance review copy.

Normally when I apply for ARC copies I try to avoid books that are not the first book in a series because I don’t want to miss anything in regards to context in a series. However, when I read the synopsis of Under Pressure I couldn’t resist putting in for the ARC.

In the opening of this book the Guggenheim Museum is attacked during a private event and everyone, including unfortunate bystanders outside of the museum, are killed by the blast. Lucas Page, formerly of the FBI, and now a college professor and author, is brought back into the field to try and help solve the case and get answers for all of the families.

I adored Lucas, despite his rough exterior at times (it’s understandable for what he’s gone through) and his connection to former colleague Angela Whitaker as their easy back and forth felt like many friendships that I have (although our conversation topics are much less serious.)

Robert Pobi’s writing was masterful and his ability to weave all the pieces together was so satisfying as a reader. This was my first time reading anything by him and I have to say I’m a fan. I’ll be going back to book one in the series, City of Windows, and getting the full background on Lucas as soon as possible.

I will say my rating is more due to feeling like I was missing background and context, again the hazards of jumping into a series. I try avoiding this at all costs but Under Pressure was just way too tempting. While I feel I was out of the loop sometimes I was still very much able to enjoy the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Robert Pobi for the chance to read the ARC for this book!

Lucas Page is my newest hero. He is beyond brilliant, yet he is also one of the more regular guys I’ve read about in ages. Oh yes, he also has a prosthetic arm and leg. Lucas is married to a remarkable woman and the father of five exceptional children and one dog. He gets recalled into an FBI case by the same Agent in Charge that previously fired him. The Guggenheim was blown up, killing approximately 700 very wealthy people and doing very little damage to the structure of the building. The novel is the story of this investigation and I won’t go further into it because of spoilers, but I heartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers. It is fast, fun, full of action and brainpower and irreverence. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur for an ARC for an honest review.

I’ve never had the pleasure of reading a book by Robert Pobi and I’m happy that I was able to read this book. I thought Dr Lucas Page was written well because you understood why people thought he was strange and unliked but also how the reader personally liked him. The story was good and kept me guessing to the end. I will be reading more of his books.

(4.5)This is my first book by Robert Pobi. It is book 2 and all though I feel like he did a good job filling in blanks for people to read, I wish I had read book 1 first. I feel like I could have embraced Under Pressure so much more, basically put it over the top, make it a 5 star. It was a thrill and a heart wrencher meeting Dr Luas Page and his family. This is a fast paced, explosive (no pun intended) mystery thriller. It is not a sit down take me away sunshine novel. It starts off with a bang and keeps on going. There are moments of levity between Angela, the one person he can work with, who excepts him as he is and they are desperately needed as truly is a non stop ride. It will also make you thing twice about todays social media . The ending was a surprise, that for me is always a win. Thank you so much Robert Poni for asking if I would like to read your book and for the widget to grab on NetGalley. I freely share my thoughts and opinions.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

An exclusive event, hosted by Horizon Dynamics, boasts an eclectic mix of corporate giants enjoying a gala evening at New York City’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum where Ansel Adams photographs and Andy Warhol paintings cover the walls.

Then confetti drops from the ceiling . . . and everything disappears in a flash, an explosion, and a shock wave.

Brett Kehoe, the FBI special agent in charge of Manhattan brings Lucas Page into the investigation [which soon becomes an investigation into a number of explosions]. But with an elusive perpetrator and continued bombings, will they be able to identify the mastermind and put a stop to the terrorism?

Lucas Page returns to consult for the FBI in this second outing [following “City of Windows”] for the irascible, sarcastic astrophysicist with a unique mathematical talent for numbers.

Well-defined, nuanced characters populate a story that keeps the suspense building and the tension high. But the repartee between Page and Special Agent Angela Whitaker offers readers a strong counterpoint to the heaviness of exploding bombs and dying people.

The mystery is both compelling and intricate. Complex plot twists pull the reader into the telling of the tale from the very first page and keep them guessing until the final unexpected reveal.

The unnecessary overuse of a particularly offensive expletive is the only downside here; it lowers the rating for this book.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#UnderPressure #NetGalley

If you like twisted plots, this book is for you. If you like killings - lots of killings - then this book really is for you. Robert Pobi can write and there was never a time when the story didn't zip right along. Although I found some of the story and especially the character of Lucas Page to be more than credulity can accept, I will be the first to admit that the story had me in its grip from start to finish. You can't ask for much more from a book in this genre.

The crime-solving, astrophysicist, Lucas Page reluctantly returns to ferret out evil-doers responsible for a massive explosion at the Guggenheim in NYC. Lucas has mathematical skills to detect patterns and sequences the can lead to whomever may be responsible. He also does not suffer fools gladly and has a biting sense of humor that stuns other so-called experts into silence or fits of pique. This particular case is made more emotionally difficult for Lucas as it triggers his own past history with explosives which has left his with state-of-the-art prosthetics. He is also more reluctant to leave his wife and kids this time as the danger mounts. Fortunately, his sidekick Whitaker has his back. Confronted with more deaths and explosions, Page repeatedly tries to think who benefits. It’s only towards the end of this exciting thriller that he realizes that who benefits may not be the motivating question. Recommended. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this excellent read.

this book ahs a lot of detail and description that supports the characters and the story line. A good read that leaves you guessing until the end. A book worth reading.