The Numbers

A killer stalks his victim and strikes with cold calculation. A calling card is left, specifically three numbers written on the victim’s forehead. Meanwhile, Thomas Prescott, a consultant for the Philadelphia Police Department, finds a body at an encampment of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The victim is the daughter of a wealthy businessman.

Prescott will shortly be drawn into both cases; however, his work on the “Numbers Killer” investigation will assume primary importance. He is assigned to an FBI task force looking into any and all leads. Prescott has doubts about the FBI’s primary theories. He undertakes his own inquiry into the case and soon finds him down a rabbit hole with a prolific killer with a long line of victims. His renegade actions get results but may come at a heavy price.

The Numbers is the latest engrossing novel in a long line of thrillers by author Nick Pirog. The mystery/thriller brings out the suspense with the intense hunt for a killer, combined with the humor brought about by its snarky but charming protagonist, who gets himself in many jams along the way. An excellent page-turner that will keep the reader transfixed until the very end.