Book ~ "Father of Fear" (2014) Ethan Cross

From Goodreads ~ A father returns home to find that his family has been kidnapped and the only way to save their lives is for him to kill another innocent person.

So begins a journey that will force Special Agent Marcus Williams of the Shepherd Organization to question all that he believes, unearth his family's dark legacy, and sacrifice everything to save those he loves. In order to stop the serial murderer whom the media has dubbed the Coercion Killer, Williams must enlist the help of one of the world's most infamous and wanted men ... the serial killer Francis Ackerman Jr. 

Marcus, Maggie and Andrew are Special Agents with a secret government organization, the Shepherd Organization.  Their job is to track down serial killers and now they have to find the Coercion Killer.  The Coercion Killer is playing a game.  He kidnaps wives and children ... the only way to ensure their safety is for the husbands/fathers to kill an innocent person.

Marcus turns to his brother, Ackerman, for help ... who better to get into the mind of a serial killer than another serial killer?  As they get closer to catching the killer, it's someone they never expected it to be and it's personal ... really personal.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I enjoyed it.  It is the third in a series ... I read the second one in October 2012 (I haven't read the first one yet).  Though it is part of a series, it works well as a stand alone.

I liked the writing style.  It's written in third person perspective and the focus changes depending on what's going on.  The chapters are short and snappy, between one to five pages, which I like.  As a head's up, there is violence.

I liked the characters.  It was interesting to see the interaction between Marcus and Ackerman (good and evil) and Maggie and Ackerman (she's forced to work with him and she obviously has no respect for him).  Marcus is still getting headaches and isn't sleeping ... he's not happy when he hears the organization is sending everyone for mental and emotional evaluations and then he realizes he's really the only one who has to go.  He and Maggie are back together and trying to make it work.  The Coercion Killer is a sly one and it was amazing the lengths he went.

I recommend this book and look forward to reading others in the series.