The Second Shooter

I thoroughly enjoyed THE SECOND SHOOTER and I recommend it to anyone who wants a fast-paced, twisty novel about conspiracies and other things hidden in plain sight. The novel follows journalist Mike Karras on his quest to write a book about fringe theories and the “second shooter” phenomenon—the idea that at any mass shooting, there are always reports of a second gunman that can’t be substantiated. After finding himself at the scene of a mass shooting, Karras winds up following threads down a labyrinth of conspiracies, aided by a quirky cast of other outcasts and conspiracy theorists.

This book reminded me of The X-Files, in the best way. It had the same feeling of slowly uncovering a massive plot and of connecting real-world fringe ideas with increasingly zany sci-fi-esque elements. Mamatas is an engaging writer and gives Karras a perfectly wry, self-deprecating voice which is a pleasure to read. I look forward to what he comes up with next.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sometimes you come across a book that is so different and unique, it can be hard to describe the story or genre and The Second Shooter is one of those books.
Mike Karras, is a freelance writer who has been commissioned by an obscure, left-wing publisher intriguing named Little Round Bomb Books. His investigation is focused on the conspiracy theory of the mysterious second shooter, that witnesses claim to have seen at mass shootings and assassinations. He is sceptical until he finds himself in the middle of a mass shooting, becomes the target of a right-wing radio host, and is followed by drones. He tries to uncover the truth with the help and sometimes hindrance of his editor, some pesky teenagers and a family of conspiracy buffs, the Alazars.

While the underlying premise of the second shooter isn’t unique the explanation and the overall story was different to anything I have read before. The plot races along with no drag with poor Mike lurching from one crisis to another, ending worse off with each problem he solves.
I really did feel sorry for Mike as this was one hero who was out of his depth through most of the book and I liked how realistic this was The secondary characters even those with very little to do in the book are so well written. My favourites have to be Sharon, Mike’s editor and Tony Alazar but all of them from Bracken, the right-wing lorry driver to Katrina, the teenage activist are vividly written and energise the scenes they are in.
Chris Bennett, the radio host is a creepy villain making his presence felt throughout the book and unfortunately is all too real in today's world. In fact, the overall premise and chilling finish is all too believable and could potentially happen.
The science-fiction element of the book doesn’t really kick in until halfway through the book but when it does it is truly mind-bending and to say any more would push me into spoiler territory.

I would have liked to read the science-fiction part of the story a little earlier. I found it hard to warm up to Mike as the main character.
Perfect for fans of Blake Crouch or John Mars
Summary
4 stars