So this book started out by recapping a lot of info from the first Lucas Page book & I wasn’t really a fan of it. I just felt like it wasn’t really necessary & wasted time jumping into the story. Once we got past all that & actually got into the story, I really enjoyed it! I loooovvveee the Lucas Page series I’m a big fan of the authors writing style. The story itself was interesting & with so many pieces of the puzzle, it was fun to try & piece everything together.

If you haven’t checked out the Lucas Page series, I highly recommend it!

This book was intense. I did not read the first on in the series so at first was unsure of what was going on. But I soon found my footing and the mystery and action ramped up. I felt I was in the story which shows for me, good writing.
I did not figure out who was behind the bombing until the very end and could not stop reading.
I am going to get the first book so I can have more background on the main characters. A Particularly good read. Thank you, Net Galley, for an advance copy for an honest review.

This novel was intellectually written, deep storyline, superb characters. It’s a long book but well worth the time and effort in reading, if your a fan of action mixes with mystery. This is my initial reading for this author and I will go back and read Lucas Pages earlier books.

Under Pressure is a high octane thrill of a ride. Author Robert Pobi has created a character with powers that make him unique among superman characters. He has a mathematical mind that can calculate beyond belief, and he can take a scene and view it backwards so that he ultimately watches it happen. From that he garners insights that help break cases. Too much? It depends. If you can get past that, you can really enjoy the novel, and I did.
Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC.

I'm sorry to say that Under Pressure (Robert Pobi) is the first Lucas Page novel I've read. Under Pressure is a stand alone story, I had no difficulties following along, but I wish I had been on the ride from the beginning! Excellent plot which keeps the reader guessing, and lots of edge of your seat moments. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. I want to thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an early copy to review.

Under Pressure the new Lucas Page novel is stellar. Well written, excellent plot development and well Lucas. He is an invaluable asset to the FBI with his ability to see patterns and get to the bottom line . I thoroughly enjoyed this page turning mystery,

This was an extremely complex book in a lot of different ways. The number of characters is initially overwhelming and it takes quite a few pages to get them all straight. The main character is also very complex, both physically and mentally. Despite not being a "people person" he grows on you. The author has an excellent grasp of IT, math and left-brain thinking generally which can be challenging from those of us who favor the right side. Finally, the plot is complex. Really really complex. Every time you think you've got a single aspect figured out, you'll find that you got it completely wrong a few pages later. I could not put the book down. When I got to the end I felt a real sense of accomplishment for surviving the mental gymnastic routine Mr Pobi put me through.

Dr. Lucas Page helps investigate crimes by using his extreme pattern-recognition ability—a combination of perfect recall and a Rain Main-like facility with numbers. Except that instead of instantly counting fallen toothpicks (“82, 82, 82…246”), he is able to take in all the elements of a crime scene and instantly see what’s missing, or what’s out of place. Given information on multiple cases, he has no trouble finding the common denominator. Of course, as these things usually go, he has the interpersonal skills of a fried egg. He drives a lot of his FBI colleagues crazy, but he somehow manages a marriage and kids and is occasionally unexpectedly nice to someone who needs it. He’s matched up with a perfect partner in Special Agent Whitaker, who doesn’t take him all the seriously and knows exactly how to handle him. All of this is fantastic—it has all the ingredients you want in a new series. The stakes are high, with multiple bomb attacks in NY, including one that obliterates hundreds of people at the Guggenheim in an instant. The investigation moves quickly and at times takes amusing turns; I definitely did not expect to find myself rooting for a rat.

The one thing that kept this from being 5 stars for me was that some of the description and exposition slowed the pace and got in the way of the action. It would have been preferable for small bits of information about Page’s past to be parceled out while he was doing something, and we don’t need to be told quite so many times how stupid and misguided people are, or the consequences of their paranoid conspiracy theories. Even the crimes–so brutal and so numerous–are individually described in a way that feels almost as long as the investigation.

I plan to go back and read the first book of this series. I look forward to future investigations featuring Lucas Page—and maybe one of his daughters, who at age 3 managed to make a huge mess that turned out to follow a perfect underlying pattern…

Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a digital advance review copy.

Normally when I apply for ARC copies I try to avoid books that are not the first book in a series because I don’t want to miss anything in regards to context in a series. However, when I read the synopsis of Under Pressure I couldn’t resist putting in for the ARC.

In the opening of this book the Guggenheim Museum is attacked during a private event and everyone, including unfortunate bystanders outside of the museum, are killed by the blast. Lucas Page, formerly of the FBI, and now a college professor and author, is brought back into the field to try and help solve the case and get answers for all of the families.

I adored Lucas, despite his rough exterior at times (it’s understandable for what he’s gone through) and his connection to former colleague Angela Whitaker as their easy back and forth felt like many friendships that I have (although our conversation topics are much less serious.)

Robert Pobi’s writing was masterful and his ability to weave all the pieces together was so satisfying as a reader. This was my first time reading anything by him and I have to say I’m a fan. I’ll be going back to book one in the series, City of Windows, and getting the full background on Lucas as soon as possible.

I will say my rating is more due to feeling like I was missing background and context, again the hazards of jumping into a series. I try avoiding this at all costs but Under Pressure was just way too tempting. While I feel I was out of the loop sometimes I was still very much able to enjoy the book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Minotaur Books and Robert Pobi for the chance to read the ARC for this book!

Lucas Page is my newest hero. He is beyond brilliant, yet he is also one of the more regular guys I’ve read about in ages. Oh yes, he also has a prosthetic arm and leg. Lucas is married to a remarkable woman and the father of five exceptional children and one dog. He gets recalled into an FBI case by the same Agent in Charge that previously fired him. The Guggenheim was blown up, killing approximately 700 very wealthy people and doing very little damage to the structure of the building. The novel is the story of this investigation and I won’t go further into it because of spoilers, but I heartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers. It is fast, fun, full of action and brainpower and irreverence. Thanks to Net Galley and Minotaur for an ARC for an honest review.

I’ve never had the pleasure of reading a book by Robert Pobi and I’m happy that I was able to read this book. I thought Dr Lucas Page was written well because you understood why people thought he was strange and unliked but also how the reader personally liked him. The story was good and kept me guessing to the end. I will be reading more of his books.

(4.5)This is my first book by Robert Pobi. It is book 2 and all though I feel like he did a good job filling in blanks for people to read, I wish I had read book 1 first. I feel like I could have embraced Under Pressure so much more, basically put it over the top, make it a 5 star. It was a thrill and a heart wrencher meeting Dr Luas Page and his family. This is a fast paced, explosive (no pun intended) mystery thriller. It is not a sit down take me away sunshine novel. It starts off with a bang and keeps on going. There are moments of levity between Angela, the one person he can work with, who excepts him as he is and they are desperately needed as truly is a non stop ride. It will also make you thing twice about todays social media . The ending was a surprise, that for me is always a win. Thank you so much Robert Poni for asking if I would like to read your book and for the widget to grab on NetGalley. I freely share my thoughts and opinions.

Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley

An exclusive event, hosted by Horizon Dynamics, boasts an eclectic mix of corporate giants enjoying a gala evening at New York City’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum where Ansel Adams photographs and Andy Warhol paintings cover the walls.

Then confetti drops from the ceiling . . . and everything disappears in a flash, an explosion, and a shock wave.

Brett Kehoe, the FBI special agent in charge of Manhattan brings Lucas Page into the investigation [which soon becomes an investigation into a number of explosions]. But with an elusive perpetrator and continued bombings, will they be able to identify the mastermind and put a stop to the terrorism?

Lucas Page returns to consult for the FBI in this second outing [following “City of Windows”] for the irascible, sarcastic astrophysicist with a unique mathematical talent for numbers.

Well-defined, nuanced characters populate a story that keeps the suspense building and the tension high. But the repartee between Page and Special Agent Angela Whitaker offers readers a strong counterpoint to the heaviness of exploding bombs and dying people.

The mystery is both compelling and intricate. Complex plot twists pull the reader into the telling of the tale from the very first page and keep them guessing until the final unexpected reveal.

The unnecessary overuse of a particularly offensive expletive is the only downside here; it lowers the rating for this book.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#UnderPressure #NetGalley

If you like twisted plots, this book is for you. If you like killings - lots of killings - then this book really is for you. Robert Pobi can write and there was never a time when the story didn't zip right along. Although I found some of the story and especially the character of Lucas Page to be more than credulity can accept, I will be the first to admit that the story had me in its grip from start to finish. You can't ask for much more from a book in this genre.

The crime-solving, astrophysicist, Lucas Page reluctantly returns to ferret out evil-doers responsible for a massive explosion at the Guggenheim in NYC. Lucas has mathematical skills to detect patterns and sequences the can lead to whomever may be responsible. He also does not suffer fools gladly and has a biting sense of humor that stuns other so-called experts into silence or fits of pique. This particular case is made more emotionally difficult for Lucas as it triggers his own past history with explosives which has left his with state-of-the-art prosthetics. He is also more reluctant to leave his wife and kids this time as the danger mounts. Fortunately, his sidekick Whitaker has his back. Confronted with more deaths and explosions, Page repeatedly tries to think who benefits. It’s only towards the end of this exciting thriller that he realizes that who benefits may not be the motivating question. Recommended. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing this excellent read.

this book ahs a lot of detail and description that supports the characters and the story line. A good read that leaves you guessing until the end. A book worth reading.

Last summer, I read Robert Pobi’s first Lucas Page novel, City of Windows, and thought it was a real standout, the kind of summer thriller you want everybody to read along with you as you speculate about who is behind the fiendish killings terrifying the New York populace.

This summer, in Under Pressure, the FBI is faced with an even more frightening case than in City of Windows. A spectacular and ingenious bomb kills over 700 movers and shakers attending a gala at the Guggenheim in advance of the IPO for an environmental technology firm called Horizon Dynamics.

With so many victims, it’s tough for the FBI to figure out who might have been the bomber’s target. The data set is overwhelming. So who better to get to work on it than Page, the brilliant professor and king of data analysis? Page had previously been with the FBI and lost an eye and a couple of limbs in a bombing while on the job. In City of Windows, he nearly loses his life again, along with his wife, six adopted kids and goofy Lab, Lemmy. So he’ll be totally willing to pitch in and help out the FBI again, right? Well, yeah, and it’s a good thing too, because the Guggenheim is just the first of many bombings that soon have NYC in a frenzy of terror and rage.

Who knows what Page was like before The Event, as he thinks of his bomb maiming, but today he is a curmudgeon to pretty much everybody outside his family and some of his students. He also has a hate on for a lot of contemporary America, including, in no particular order, digilantes and conspiracy people (especially false-flaggers and other deniers), anti-abortion groups, militia types, red-hat wearers, white supremacists and wrath of Godders. Oh, and also the media that are more interested in entertainment than facts, and their compulsion to speculate or downright accuse without basis and, by that, get the extremists and crazies all whipped up. Generally, Page is angry that the country is getting stupider all the time and Americans are throwing themselves enthusiastically into their ignorance. So I’d say that while Page’s (likely Pobi’s) disdain is fairly broad-based, maybe a special trigger warning is in order for fans of Donald Trump, Fox News, OANN, Alex Jones, and the like.

Page’s FBI contacts put up with his bad attitude because he’s a savant. He can look at a crime scene, and a part of his brain shifts into gear, seeing the scene as a collection of mathematical and physical elements, which allows him to reconstruct what happened. It’s a little bit like the genius character (David?) in that old TV series Numb3rs, only with sarcasm. Pobi has a talent for explaining Page’s thinking in a way that makes it easy to follow and flatters readers that they are having Page’s insights right along with him.

Plenty of action and tension, twists and turns of plot, a complex whodunnit, and moments of humor all combine to make this another winning Lucas Page thriller for Robert Pobi. I hope Page will be persuaded to get himself talked into another investigation in time for my summer 2021 reading.

In Under Pressure, Lucas Page, the brilliant astrophysicist and pattern detector, is called in by the FBI after an explosion at the Guggenheim Museum that left 702 people dead. Other explosions follow, leaving death and mayhem in their wake. A manifesto is sent to CNN taking credit for the explosions and stating that they stem from an anti-technology revolution. Lucas doesn't buy the veracity of the letter and believes that it was written by a computer program, not a real person.

The Guggenheim explosion occurred towards the end of a gala for high rollers on Wall Street who were welcoming an IPO that was coming out shortly. The IPO was for an eco-friendly company that planned to clean up messes from fracking and mining debris. At the height of the celebration, confetti was strewn everywhere and the bomb was disguised in the confetti. The damage was awful as people melted and exploded from the inside out.

Lucas is still married to Erin and has several adopted children, each unique in their own special way. Lucas remains challenged from the 'event' that left him with only one arm, one leg, and one eye. As he tries to balance his family life with his FBI work, he finds it very difficult.

Lucas is triggered emotionally by the bombings. They bring up past trauma that he seeks to avoid. As he gets deeper into the case, he finds that all the bombings appear to be linked to one company, owned by two brothers. Lucas is sure that the motive is money, but who stands to gain?

I really liked the first book in the series but this second installment wasn't as satisfying. There was a lot of repetition, reminding the reader of what had happened previously, which I thought was filler.
I liked the pairing of Lucas with Whitaker as in the first novel. I highly recommend reading Pobi's first Lucas Page novel before jumping in to this one.

Oh my goodness but I love love love these books!! Lucas Page is amazing, his wife and Whitaker are rockstars, the mysterious underpinning each book are original and well crafted, and the back and forth revelations - inch by painstaking inch - of his history with Kehoe are fascinating to witness unfold... There's so much going on, layered seven secrets deep here - I want five more books to come out tomorrow just so I can watch it all unravel at the current pace, which is perfect for this series. If you haven't started this series yet, do so quickly - there's a lot going on and you won't want to waste a minute catching up when the next installment hits the shelves!!

Wow second in this series.Drew me right in kept me reading late into the night.So many twists and turns characters that come alive.Recommending the series the author,#betgalley#st.martinsbooks