This novel, written by former FBI agent Noah Boyd, introduces character Steve Vail, renegade former FBI agent. He is called from his current trade--bricklayer--to work on an elaborate extortion case. Critics of the FBI are murdered one by one while the agency receives messages that the sensational killings will continue until the FBI pays 3 million dollars. Vail is led on a "mind-bending maze of clues and traps inside a nonstop thrill ride," as the publisher says. The mazes are preposterous, but intricate and entertaining. Character is spare and Steve Vail is the standard tough-guy hero of suspense and romance novels. The book is a fun, fast read for anyone looking for an enjoyable escape.