Under Pressure

My first Robert Pobi novel and I am stunned at how good it was. Wow. For the action/ mystery who dunnit. Fantastic. Now I will be back reading the previous Lucas Page novel for the pure entertainment. Thank you Netgalley for the fine read.

Lucas Page is back is this breath stopping thriller that will keep you asking, "Will this ever end."

The main character is an intelligent, but flawed astrophysicist with two prosthetics, an artificial eye and a drive to solve the problem no matter the impact on his personal life. Plus he's good with numbers, eerily good, and all are put to the test when a series of bombings seems unsolvable and brings back unwanted memories.

If I have any complaints I feel some portions were too wordy and could have achieved the same effect with fewer words. All in all this book is a heart pounding, edge of your seat reading that I have come to love and I cannot wait for the next.

Oh, I forgot about the ending. OMG! You don't want to miss this one!

One of the most exciting and adrenaline fueled books ai have ever read. I had been waiting for a Robert Pobi to write another a novel featuring Dr. Lucas Page since I finished his first book last year.
I was thrilled to receive an ARC from Netgalley. This book read like a C4 fueled bomb that never stopped detonating till the final page.

Five very enthusiastic stars!

I’m counting the days till Dr. Lucas Page continues his adventures in book number three.
The sooner the better.

Thank you Robert Pobi for putting the thrill back into the genre

6 out of 5! Dr. Lucas Page is a character I can't get enough of. The action-packed novel unfolds at break-neck speed.

Brett Kehoe of FBI hooks Lucas Page into returning to assist in solving the bombing of the NYC Guggenheim Museum that killed 702 people, including the top personnel of Horizon Dynamics, a world financing investment firm. When bombs with the same C-4 signature keep going off, Page and his team are hard pressed to find the links and unravel the mastermind.

Characters are well written and work together to create an interesting team.

I thought City of Windows was excellent, Under Pressure is twice as excellent!

I really enjoyed the first novel in Robert Pobi’s Lucas Page series, City of Windows. I was therefore very much looking forward to the character’s second outing, and I’m happy to report that I was not disappointed. I really enjoyed this, and zipped through it.

Lucas Page is an excellent protagonist. The victim of a bombing years ago, he has been reconstructed with multiple prosthetics. He has left the FBI and turned his prodigious intellect to teaching — a profession he finds rewarding, but also a little bit boring. He was roped into an FBI investigation in City of Windows, helping hunt down a sniper in New York City. In Under Pressure, a massive and sophisticated explosive device is detonated at a swanky art exhibit. Hundreds of New York’s wealthiest are vaporized in seconds. Page is called in to consult — a surprisingly callous request, given his own history and trauma. He accepts, however, due to his sense of justice and attraction to a new puzzle to solve. As events spiral beyond the one explosion, Page and the FBI must scramble to prevent more bombings. Evidence mounts that this is the work of a highly intelligent mastermind with access to plenty of resources — and also one who has been planning this for quite some time.

Page’s cavalier approach to self-preservation gets results, but also creates considerable tension in his family and with his by-the-book FBI colleagues. It makes for a gripping read, but also keeps him grounded and adds an extra layer to his character. His fierce desire to see justice served (and crush ignorance) is at war with his deep love for his family and desire to keep them safe and happy.

“It is the twenty-first century and we still have to deal with flat-earthers and anti-vaxxers and moon landing truthers. This is what you get when guns are more important than books—a nation of sociocultural primitives.”

As in the previous novel in the series, Under Pressure has a lot of social and political commentary. Everything from America’s weakness for conspiracy theories, to police brutality, to the deleterious impact the internet has had on society is covered, and covered well: Pobi wields his sharp pen effectively, but never devolves into tirades that do not serve the story. The author is clearly quite critical of certain aspects of American society and culture, which he channels mainly through Page (and the story’s antagonist, but going into that in any detail will spoil things).

“The crowd two blocks up was chanting again, the words False flag! False flag! False flag! on loop and he wondered if certain people misunderstood the Pledge of Allegiance to include the line one nation undereducated.”

Page has a Dr. Gregory House-like confidence in his own abilities and is quite secure in the knowledge that he is almost always the most intelligent person in any room he enters. He is quite abrasive as a result, easily rubs people the wrong way, and has difficult making connections with colleagues. This does make his interactions with others often amusing to read about, of course.

“You must find this job very tedious, Dr. Page.”

“No. Just the people I deal with.”

He’s not infallible, however, and it’s equally interesting to see him fix his mistakes and errors in calculation or observation. His working relationship with Whitaker is great, and I’m very happy that she returned. She is one of the few people Page can stand, and she manages to (mostly) keep him in line and alive.

Page’s colleagues are more positive in their impressions of their countrymen — despite being in law enforcement and frequently coming into contact with the worst that America has to offer. Their presence in the story stops the novel becoming too critical, but also offers great room for discussion and examination.

Overall, then, Under Pressure is another excellent novel in this new series. Page is a great protagonist, and Whitaker and Kehoe are excellent support for him. I’m really looking forward to more novels in this series and by this author.

Definitely recommended.

Following up to City of windows, Under Pressure, is just as thrilling as the first book! loved the fast paced twists and turns Pobi uses to navigate us through FBi investigations with Lucas Page in the forefront. There has been a bombing of mass destruction at the Guggenheim killing over 700 people! When the FBI are involved, this means they look to Lucas for his unique ability to see the grand picture mathematically and derive what happened better than most. The problem is Lucas was nearly killed last year when he helped the team out and is not so thrilled to be called upon again. So how does he get taken into this again-simple-this is a “physics ad chemistry problem”. After numerous bombings that make no sense or connection-Lucas pulls in two students to help and through genius computer and analytic skills and looking for “what isn’t there” they find a vector connecting the bombings-but will they get to the culprit in time before he strikes again-this time at one of their own? I couldn’t put this book down and literally was on the edge of my seat until he last chapter reading until the wee hours of the morning!

Another absolute gem from Robert Pobi in his Lucas Page series.

City of Windows was *that* book for me last year. You know, the one you bring up at parties, tout endlessly on social media, and recommend to everyone you know.

In other words, it was a tough act to follow. Yet Pobi’s series followup doesn’t miss a beat, returning us to the world of Dr. Lucas Page, his delightfully misanthropic protagonist, as well s the rest of the series’ wonderful recurring cast.

I had no doubt the book would be good. But I was skeptical as to whether it could match its predecessor. In addition to the fact that City of Windows was simply so excellent that it seemed near impossible to match, I fretted a bit about the villain and the nature of the crimes.

Snipers tend to make far more interesting bad guys than bombers do, in my opinion. But Pobi, master of the cerebral thriller that he is, managed to subvert that notion here, giving us a complex and fascinating series of crimes and an elusive and compelling villain committing them.

He also gives us one of the most terrifyingly thrilling, emotionally harrowing scenes that I’ve had the pleasure of encountering. The last one I can recall that felt comparable was in—you guessed it—City of Windows.

Like its predecessor, this book is a top-of-genre offering, and one that I would emphatically recommend to just about any reader.

Oh my goodness but I love love love these books!! Lucas Page is amazing, his wife and Whitaker are rockstars, the mysterious underpinning each book are original and well crafted, and the back and forth revelations - inch by painstaking inch - of his history with Kehoe are fascinating to witness unfold... There's so much going on, layered seven secrets deep here - I want five more books to come out tomorrow just so I can watch it all unravel at the current pace, which is perfect for this series. If you haven't started this series yet, do so quickly - there's a lot going on and you won't want to waste a minute catching up when the next installment hits the shelves!!

Last summer, I read Robert Pobi’s first Lucas Page novel, City of Windows, and thought it was a real standout, the kind of summer thriller you want everybody to read along with you as you speculate about who is behind the fiendish killings terrifying the New York populace.

This summer, in Under Pressure, the FBI is faced with an even more frightening case than in City of Windows. A spectacular and ingenious bomb kills over 700 movers and shakers attending a gala at the Guggenheim in advance of the IPO for an environmental technology firm called Horizon Dynamics.

With so many victims, it’s tough for the FBI to figure out who might have been the bomber’s target. The data set is overwhelming. So who better to get to work on it than Page, the brilliant professor and king of data analysis? Page had previously been with the FBI and lost an eye and a couple of limbs in a bombing while on the job. In City of Windows, he nearly loses his life again, along with his wife, six adopted kids and goofy Lab, Lemmy. So he’ll be totally willing to pitch in and help out the FBI again, right? Well, yeah, and it’s a good thing too, because the Guggenheim is just the first of many bombings that soon have NYC in a frenzy of terror and rage.

Who knows what Page was like before The Event, as he thinks of his bomb maiming, but today he is a curmudgeon to pretty much everybody outside his family and some of his students. He also has a hate on for a lot of contemporary America, including, in no particular order, digilantes and conspiracy people (especially false-flaggers and other deniers), anti-abortion groups, militia types, red-hat wearers, white supremacists and wrath of Godders. Oh, and also the media that are more interested in entertainment than facts, and their compulsion to speculate or downright accuse without basis and, by that, get the extremists and crazies all whipped up. Generally, Page is angry that the country is getting stupider all the time and Americans are throwing themselves enthusiastically into their ignorance. So I’d say that while Page’s (likely Pobi’s) disdain is fairly broad-based, maybe a special trigger warning is in order for fans of Donald Trump, Fox News, OANN, Alex Jones, and the like.

Page’s FBI contacts put up with his bad attitude because he’s a savant. He can look at a crime scene, and a part of his brain shifts into gear, seeing the scene as a collection of mathematical and physical elements, which allows him to reconstruct what happened. It’s a little bit like the genius character (David?) in that old TV series Numb3rs, only with sarcasm. Pobi has a talent for explaining Page’s thinking in a way that makes it easy to follow and flatters readers that they are having Page’s insights right along with him.

Plenty of action and tension, twists and turns of plot, a complex whodunnit, and moments of humor all combine to make this another winning Lucas Page thriller for Robert Pobi. I hope Page will be persuaded to get himself talked into another investigation in time for my summer 2021 reading.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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 )

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.