FBI Special Agent Jack Davis has been watching a house for drug activity waiting for the right information to lead to the higher distributor when someone murders all five people in the house. Does his FBI team have a leak? Someone knew to cut the power so the cameras in the house wouldn’t pick up the murderer. Kate Scranton is a friend of Jack’s and a specialist in reading micro facial expression changes to determine who is lying. She tries to tell Jack that several people are lying on his team and on this case. But Jack has several personal issues causing him to be distracted and he isn’t at the top of his game. Will Jack’s problems and inattention lead to his death or the death of people close to him?

Shakedown by Joel Goldman is a very good suspense/thriller. The main characters are flawed and damaged. Jack has so many problems thrown at him all at the same time; I don’t know how he was functioning at all. On the one hand I wanted him to solve the case and on the other hand I felt sorry for him. He isn’t a perfect man, but he is trying to do the best he can under difficult circumstances. I really enjoyed the skills that Kate brings to the case. The information about reading micro changes in facial expressions to tell if someone is lying is fascinating. I also liked Kate’s strong personality and intelligence and she makes a great assistant to Jack in the case when he lets her help. But Kate isn’t perfect either. This story is dark, dealing with the dregs of society, gangs, drug dealers and even crooked law enforcement officers. The tale is fast-paced and full of plots and subplots for a complicated situation that isn’t easy to figure out and the ending has a great unexpected twist! If you want non-stop action, suspense, and dark, imperfect characters, you will like Shakedown!

Reviewed by: Stephanie B.