Hunted by Abir Mukherjee

 

A bomb goes off in a shopping mall, killing scores and wounding hundreds.  A new fundamentalist group claims responsibility.  Now the hunt is on to find those responsible.  FBI Agent Shreya Mistry is on her last chance, her bluntness and willingness to cut corners making her a pariah in the service.  But she knows she can find the group before it sets off more bombs.  With the help of a new agent, Kramer, she sets off to track down the assassins.

She isn't the only one looking for them.  Parents of two of the group have come to the Oregon area to try to find their children before the police do.  Sajid has come from England to find his daughter, Aliyah.  She had told her parents she had a job teaching English in Japan but instead had come to America to join up with the group she had joined online.  Carrie's son, Greg, has returned from Iraq with the knowledge to build bombs and a leg that will never be right again after his military service.  Carrie has come from Florida and joins Sajid as they are sure that there is a big mistake.  

The head of the group is a woman, Miriam.  She has collected a crew of those with grudges against the government and those willing to do whatever they are told.  She is ex-military as well and perhaps her only goal is to influence the American Presidential election which is days away.  Regardless, it is clear her group has plans to set off more bombs.  Can they be found in time?

Abir Mukherjee has written a thriller that puts its foot on the gas in the first chapter and never takes it off.  He is a British author best known before this book for a series of mysteries set in post-colonial India.  In this book, he delves into the world of terrorists and their motivations and the love of parents for their children and their determination to always believe the best of them and do whatever it takes to save them.  The disgraced FBI agent, Shreya, is an interesting character with an ability to put herself in the minds of her prey and make deductions that are a reach but often pay off.  This book is recommended for thriller readers.