The Abduction of Patient Zero is a work of thrilling crime mystery penned by author Owen Parr. Forming the sixth novel in the Joey Mancuso and Father O’Brian Crime Mystery series, the action this time is set in Joey’s own back yard, as it were, when his wife Marcy becomes the central figure as people are murdered all around her. The IDs on the victims reveal that nobody is who they say they are, and much espionage and falseness are at play. Amongst the in-fighting of the official agencies, our hired PI team of half-brothers must investigate and clear Marcy’s name before she’s either jailed by the do-gooders or murdered by the baddies.

Fans of crime and murder mystery novels will find everything that they seek in this exceedingly well-developed and multi-layered novel. There are elements of the classic detective and New York PI genres peppered throughout, not least in the presentation of Joey Mancuso and his distinctive personality and style of deduction. But there’s also plenty of police procedural to add to the gritty, realistic feel of the tale and keep it grounded, which in turn produces some very intriguing espionage elements and FBI mysteries that give the plot an added layer of suspense and tension. Thrilling from start to finish, author Owen Parr has a flair for clever dialogue-style exposition that keeps the plot moving without bombarding his audience. Overall, The Abduction of Patient Zero is a high-quality mystery read recommended for crime fans across the genre’s vast expanse of tastes.

Owen Parr is back with Book 6 of the Joey Mancuso, Father O’Brian Crime Mystery series; The Abduction of Patient Zero. A man was shot dead point-blank in the face at Washington Square Park. The victim is identified as a 44-year-old retired US Army Major Oscar Stanton. However, Major Oscar Stanton was reportedly killed in Afghanistan in 2012. Special Agent Marcy Martinez －Joey's wife－and her partner, Agent Tom Lyons, are implicated in the case until authorities find Lyons's body stuffed in a janitor’s closet at a subway station. With Marcy’s hands testing positive for gunshot residue and crucial evidence found in her car, all fingers start to point to her and Joey is livid. With the help of his associates, Joey is racing against the clock to clear his wife's name in an intricate case that involves powerful entities.

The gang is back! It's good to see the tough but lovable "face of the pub" Mr. Pat and the genius hacker Agnes including other recurring characters. All is not well though, as the tension between Marcy and Joey resonates early through the pages, no thanks to a murder case that caught the pair off guard. Owen Parr deftly rattles readers with a crisis in the beginning, with one of my favorite characters, Agent Martinez, being gradually scapegoated. The question is why? Luckily, Joey's half-brother, Father Dom, and his friends are always there to help. The plot is well-developed and has Parr’s usual fast-paced style. As expected, the element of humor blends in seamlessly without disrupting the intrigue and suspense of the story. All in all, fans of the series will enjoy this sixth installment, The Abduction of Patient Zero, and its standalone nature will attract newcomers who love solid P.I. mystery novels.