In "The Fugitive’s Trail (The Sean Kruger Series, book #1)" author J.C. Fields has created an interesting character in FBI field agent Sean Kruger. In this story, the first in the series, the author spins a tangled web of events and characters that then careen down an action-packed ravine toward an inevitably violent conclusion. The action is constant and described in exciting detail. It is without doubt an involving and captivating story and one you won’t want to put down.
The first third of the book is the best part, as we meet agent Kruger and witness the triggering events that set the dominos in motion. The author sets the scene nicely, and the characters are interesting enough to make us care. Agent Kruger, who is just moving out of his house after a divorce and into a new apartment in Springfield, Missouri, meets a new neighbor and strikes up an immediate romance that is sure to play a lead role in future books. (The author is a resident of Missouri and much of the action takes place in the vicinity of Springfield, MO. I’m sure the descriptions of the roads, streets, buildings, and scenery are accurate, although most of the detail is not really important to the story.) A hundred pages into the book, the action is moving forward, the chess pieces are moving about the board, and the reader is totally hooked.
Unfortunately, while this book is a fun read for sure, the execution of the second half of the story is not as good as the initial set-up. The intricacies of the plot and the multiple characters, locations, and threads of the story get harder and harder to keep straight and follow as the story goes along. The motivations and back-stories become murkier, and many of the key plot points depend upon the ability of the “Fugitive” (we’ll call him JR) to “hack” into any computer system on the planet in a matter of minutes and manipulate any data. JR can steal money from anyone’s bank account, change anyone’s passwords, get anyone’s private information from the phone company, access security cameras from JFK airport, and check the passenger travel details from the airline’s computer systems. He can locate any cell phone (by number and by GPS location) and he’s also an expert marksman and a trained soldier. So, JR is basically superman/super-hacker whenever he needs to be, which stretches the boundaries of the suspension of disbelief for most readers. Agent Kruger is also willing to ignore FBI procedures whenever it’s helpful to the story. The villains also are cunning and have a hired hit man willing to hunt down and kill JR and his new girlfriend in order to protect their financial interests. Along the way, there are intrigues involving the CIA and other side-plots that add layers to the plot without necessarily being critical or tying back together in the end. Without spoiling anything, there is resolution to the story, but not a complete explanation for how the events got set in motion in the first place.
But, all that is secondary to the enjoyment of the unfolding story, which the author chops up into shorter and shorter sub-segments as the action nears its climax. The book is well edited, with only a few glaring typos, and the author’s writing style is well-suited for the genre. I will certainly be looking for the second book in the Sean Kruger series to see how the characters develop and to see whether Mr. Fields improves on this effort in the next book.