WOW. Now this is the police procedure thriller I have been looking for all my life and finally, here it is! I am notoriously picky when it comes to thrillers, and I dislike anything that seems too convenient, the plot twists aren't believable, or the author is throwing red herrings left and right to throw us off the track of the actual conclusions to the mystery.
This book succeeds in avoiding every one of these frustrating thriller tropes, and instead gives us a truly incredible mystery following a neurodivergent FBI Agent and his team who are tracking a serial killer killing serial killers. At first, I was thrown off a bit by the writing style, until I realized it's exactly how agent Camden is observing things, and then I absolutely loved being in his head. I thought it was going to be a waste of time hearing about everyone's appearance, no matter how minor the character, but it actually led to the absence of (see above) those red herrings where an author will only tell you about the way someone looks if you're supposed to pay attention to it- even if it's just to throw you off. Here, we saw everyone the way Agent Camden saw them, and were able to draw our own conclusions without any author bias in our way.
While this book was completely addicting, and stressful, and had me absolutely GLUED to my Kindle, there is also a found family aspect that was unexpected and completely wonderful. Agent Camden's team was exactly what I always wanted from a group of detectives, There wasn't that one detective who didn't want to do any of the tasks he/she was assigned, nobody was dropping the ball and causing issues for everyone else- they all worked together and respected their lead investigator- and in turn, they became a solid and just perfect team. I cannot wait for their next case and to see what they've been up to since this book's ending.
I highly recommend this book to everyone!!

The perfect read for fans of Criminal Minds and Bones, this one had me on the edge of my seat wanting more. I absolutely loved this one and enjoyed seeing the main character's growth and development. I can't wait for more to come in the series!

Rating - 4/5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Date Read - October 14, 2024
Publication Date - January 28, 2025

*I received an E-ARC of this book for free in exchange for an honest review* - Thank you @johnmcmahonbooks, @stmartinspress, @minotaur_books and @netgalley!

McMahon got me hooked from the beginning and I sped through the book, it is very bingeable and fast paced. I was expecting more uniqueness from all the PAR team members but I enjoyed getting a look inside the mmc's brain. This book is fun because we get to learn about and investigate several different mu*ders, instead of only focusing on one. I thought that kept things interesting and always had my mind working. Speaking of my mind working, I am definitely going to remember the story that Nabokov shared about coincidences!

If you are interested in mystery/thriller books with FBI agents and serial k*llers who target other serial k*llers, you should try Head Cases!

Get excited to read Head Cases, available January 28! 🎉

*Please check trigger warnings*

Loved everything about this! The mystery, the characters, the execution of it all, the TWISTS! It was all layered so intricately.

This book was very interesting to me! As someone who loved old school Criminal Minds and has read several John Douglas (creator of behavioral profiling), this book was a win! I love following along with the developments in the case and characters. I didn't realize this book was the first in a series, so I'm excited to continue with this author!

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Are you an avid Criminal Minds watcher?

Is Spencer Reid your favorite?

This one is for you.

I absolutely devoured this in less than a day and I can’t wait for this series to unfold. The perfect amount of thrill, mystery, and intrigue. I enjoyed each member of this team and I’m excited to see where it goes.

Camden Gardner is a fascinating character in the way he thinks and solves twisty cases. He and the other members of the PAR Unit may be outcasts but they sure get the job done one way or another. As this is a first book and intro into this special group, it does a great job in introducing the important characters, fleshing them out as they are thrown into this case of a serial killer offing other serial killers (including one that everyone thought had died in a fire).

I like that the members of the group (Cassie, Frank, Shooter and newbie Rich) are very distinct with their own strengths and weakness (no cookie cutter characters here!). It made for a very exciting read as Camden and the others race to solve the case before more people die. Nicely twisty and thrilling! This is the first book I have read by this author but you can be sure I will try his other ones, as well as wait eagerly for more books with Camden and the PAR Unit!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review this book!

5/5 stars

Thank you Minotaur Books for the advanced reading copy!

I loved this book from the start! Total true crime vibes, and it almost read like a documentary. Following our MC -- quirky, lovable and brilliant Gardner Camden -- was extremely fascinating. This book kind of reminded me of UNMASKED by Paul Holes or BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN by Jessica Knoll -- so if you liked either of these, you'll love this one. I found HEAD CASES to be even more interesting than either of those others -- both of which I loved -- and thought it wrapped up really nicely. Any serial killer story is going to be naturally interesting, but this one took a number of unique twists and turns that kept me so hooked from the beginning. Great way to end 2024's reading list!

Thank you Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the #ARC in return for an honest review! #MacAudio2024 ✍🏻

📖HEAD CASES by John McMahon
352 pages
Genre: Crime Fiction + Mystery

I downloaded this after getting an email promoting this book and I’m so glad I did!

What did I like/what to expect:
🎈shows like: Criminal Minds, Mindhunter, CSI, Bones
🎈serial killer vibes
🎈fast paced
🎈mysterious and entertaining
🎈puzzle like
🎈dark and twisty

I always an interested in books that center around the FBI, and like many I find serial killers fascinating - from a very far distance. In Head Cases by John McMahon, it's a solid debut with a unique plot. What makes it is the character development with Camden.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for sharing this book with me.

I really enjoyed this book! I love criminal minds and this was in the same vein. I liked the procedural aspect of PAR figuring out the case. I also liked the characters and I hope the rest of the series dives more into the side characters like Richie and Cassie. I will definitely be reading the other books in this series!

Gardner Camden is a genius - and he employs his superpower at PAR, a specialized unit of the FBI. PAR is made up of a nerdy group of accomplished misfits who've been banished to obscurity because of one misdemeanor or the other.

Gardner's quirky ways start to grow on you: his internal compass always points him toward truth and justice, so trying to navigate (tactfully) around all the internal politics and infighting that is the FBI is a constant battle for him. He sees things in very clear cut ways, but the powers that be don't see this internal compass, often voiced in a blunt manner, as an asset.

A highly sensitive case involving the murder of several known serial killers leads to Gardner Camden heading this elite think tank out in the field.

We get to know each of Gardner's highly colourful team members - which is good because this is the first installment in a future series. I, for one, can't wait for the next installment! (I shot my sleeping patterns right to hell - I simply could not put this book down!)

I highly recommend this action-packed novel. It has it all: great writing, plenty of action, a totally twisted plot, and an intriguing cast of characters.

My thanks to the author, John McMahon, the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 5 out of 5 well deserved stars, and then some!
(Expected Publication date: January 28, 2025)

Gardner Camden leads the Patterns and Recognition (PAR) Unit of the FBI, a cast of quirky characters with unique skills to solve crimes. The team has been called in to investigate the death of a serial killer they thought dead many years ago. Through the investigation we learn about the history of the team and their backgrounds. It was an interesting mystery with good pacing and enjoyable characters.

I enjoyed this first in a new series and look forward to future installments.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #MinotaurBooks for a free copy of #HeadCases by John McMahon. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed Head Cases! FBI Agent Gardner Camden is brilliant and oh, so quirky!! He's part of a unit called PAR, which is made up of a mathematician, a weapons expert, a computer analyst, and a seasoned agent - other quirky "Head Cases." I loved them all! I also loved the amount of mystery and suspense in this book.

My only complaint is there was a little too much "He took a bite of pizza" or "He wiped his mouth," etc. That may seem too nitpicky but sentences like that break my train of thought.

Having said THAT ... I really hope Head Cases will be the start of a series!

Thank you #MinotaurBooks for providing this book for review consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Head Cases has an expected publication date of January 28, 2025.

This cat and mouse game between a serial killer and a group of FBI misfits was such an enjoyable read! Each of the FBI agents have their own special gifts to provide to the case which makes the chase all the more fun to watch play out. Will Damron does a wonderful job narrating, boosting the quirky personalities of each character with his voices and overall charm.

This is another book I had the pleasure of reading with my booksta besties and we all enjoyed it so much! Again, we spaced it out over five days but this one is entirely bingeable and you’re not going to want to put it down!

Suspenseful and intriguing! Kept you guessing and wanting to read more. I prefer no bad language but read to review. Definitely want to read next book in series!

3.5, rounded up to 4. This was a quick paced read for a procedural novel that had more depth to characters than I was anticipating. Underlying story was engaging and made the novel as a whole work.

Bookish Thoughts: I initially requested this ARC because the cover and description immediately piqued my interest. This novel was very entertaining and I could not put it down. I enjoyed all the quirky characters and the propulsive plot. I am looking forward to reading the next installment in this gripping series! Plus the television series is a pleasant surprise to know it is in development!

I received an advanced electronic copy from publisher St. Martens Press, Minotaur Books and Netgalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview this book.

This was sooooo interesting- I loved it! It started off a bit clunky but quickly found it’s steam and then I was unable to put it down. The case was unique, as well as the department. The characters were unique and I was completely invested in the story. I can’t wait for more in this series!

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of Head Cases in exchange for an honest review

This is my introduction to the work of John McMahon. Head Cases is a well crafted novel that follows a specialized group within the FBI to hunt down murderers. McMahon's novel allows readers to wade through the cases and clues in order for the reader to attempt to solve the murder at the same time as the team. Strong characterization allows the reader to relate and understand each team member. This was one of those hard to put down novels. The story pulls the reader in instantly. I recommend this novel for those that love a police procedural similar to Criminal Minds or Bones. .