Scorpion

I have never read the previous novels by Christian Cantrell--a software engineer in addition to being an author-- but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. This book is variously referred to as speculative fiction or a science fiction thriller. It is set in the near future with lots of cool technologies that could soon be with us. The premise is that a divorced and still grieving (over the accidental death of her daughter) CIA analyst, who usually has a 9-5 desk job, is tasked to track down the "Elite Assassin." The killer has struck several times with no consistency in mode of murder, no apparent connection between the victims, and the only clues left are 4 digit numbers that are stamped, tattooed, cut, or pressed into the victim's flesh. The only thing revealed by her intensive searches through unimaginable amounts of data is that the age of the victims is decreasing; it is finally the murder of a 9 month old infant that galvanizes Quinn to undertake this assignment. Quinn Mitchell is not a field agent, and yet she finds herself flying all over the world in order to view murder scenes first-hand in her pursuit of the killer. In one humiliating interview, a hotel manager, who could identify the killer, suggests that Quinn quit following the bodies and start following the money if she wants to get ahead of her target. What I liked most about this book, aside from the cool tech, the twisty plotting, and the intriguing characters was the author's droll sense of humor, revealed in clever comparisons and turns of perspective. I highly recommend this book as do Publishers Weekly, which calls the book "as entertaining as it is intellectually and ethically challenging," and Kirkus, which concludes "...the technology sings, the physics is plausibly presented, and the suggestion of time travel fascinates. A fast, fun, and intelligent SF thriller."