James Patterson & David Ellis' Invisible - Review

Invisible by James Patterson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A fast-paced serial killer thriller by James Patterson and David Ellis.

Emily "Emmy" Dockery, a Research Analyst with the FBI, is currently suspended - having been accused of making improper advances towards her superior after she rejected his own improper advances – but she has been dedicating her time to working on a case of her own. Her sister died earlier in the year in a house fire, which was ruled an accidental death. Emmy, however, is not convinced. She has reviewed cases of multiple fires across the US, all of which resulted in fatalities, all deemed accidental. From all of these cases, a pattern emerges - one that points to there being a cunning and devious serial killer operating across the country, undetected.

Calling on ex-agent and her ex-boyfriend Harrison "Books" Bookman, Emmy is determined to be taken seriously and finally get the chance to get justice for her sister and all the other victims. But this isn’t going to be an easy task – up against a boss determined to avoid allegations of sexual harassment and multiple law enforcement agencies who do not believe a crime has taken place.

Meanwhile, the killer is always a few steps ahead and, as Emmy, Books and the team close in, becomes ever more dangerous.

Emmy is an endearing character - spunky, emotionally scarred, always determined to do the right thing, sometimes a little too reactive and so driven by what is immediately in front of her to consider the ramifications of her words and actions. For me, her relationship with Books was one of the most enjoyable elements of the novel - it clicked with me from their first interaction and I hoped they'd somehow rekindle their relationship. The sub-plot of the sexual harassment by her boss is particularly timely, something I hope we’ll see explored further in the future.

As well as the investigation of the case from Emmy's perspective, we also learn about the crimes from the perspective of the killer through transcripts of recordings. Narcissistic, manipulative and resourceful, this is a killer who will challenge the FBI agents and may outwit them to the end.

This devious, twisted journey delivers multiple climatic moments told through Patterson’s trademark short, sharp chapters, in the build-up to the final twist; ‘Invisible’ is a gripping psychological thriller.

Emmy returns in James Patterson and David Ellis’ sequel 'Unsolved', which promises to pit her against another devious and invisible killer.



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