“Swift Vengeance” by T. Jefferson Parker is the second in a new series starring Roland Ford, and it is a winner.

Ford returns as hero and private investigator on the trial of a mysterious killer who is beheading CIA drone operators. Ford’s friend Lindsay Rakes, a retired Air Force drone operator whose team killed a suspected terrorist along with nine civilians, is now afraid for her life and her son’s life after a fellow flight crew member is killed.

The story begins when Lindsay receives a death threat signed by Caliphornia, and she brings it to her friend, Ford, instead of the FBI. Looking for help from Ford, she requests that he take the letter to an FBI friend, Joan Taucher. Taucher is tough as nails, but she is also haunted by the bureau’s failure to capture the 9/11 terrorists.

Lindsay is fighting for custody of her son and doesn’t want to draw any attention by going to the FBI herself. The team works to find the killer and prevent any more damage, but the killer strikes again.

This is a fast-paced, well-written thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat and unable to put it down. FBI thrillers can get too technical and drag on with terminology and detail; however this FBI thriller will leave you wanting more.

What is the scariest part of this novel? It is plausible and realistic; this could very well be happening in some part of the world right now.

Parker uses down-to-earth language and realistic scenarios that keep the reader turning the pages, and not wanting the story to end. Parker does manage to pull you into the story from the first line: “The first time I met Lindsey Rakes she was burning down the high-stakes room in the Pala Casino north of San Diego.”