Every Crooked Path by Steven James, a Mysterious Review.

Review: In this prequel to his popular Bowers Files series, Steven James features FBI agent Patrick Bowers investigating crimes against children, in Every Crooked Path.

While fast-paced and easily followed, much of what transpires is difficult to read as the plotline is centered on cybercrimes, specifically those involving child pornography and molestation of young boys and girls. There are no specific details describing the sexual depravity involved, still it is present in nearly every aspect the story. Bowers is in New York City working with a joint task force investigating the kidnapping, trafficking, and sometimes death of children. He is partnered with Special Agent Jodie Fleming, and together they realize that their current investigation is related to a criminal case from ten years earlier, requiring them to search within a jungle of secrecy and treachery.

Fortunately, there is a bit of levity in the form of Bowers' daughter, Tessa. She's a sulker, but she is also very smart and appealing in her own way. Her inclusion in the story helps take the reader escape, if only for a brief period of time, from the more difficult elements taking place.

Every Crooked Path handles its very disturbing topic well enough, and is reasonably sensitive in its dealing with it. Still, it's not quite clear why the author felt the need to structure this as a prequel to the series, how it fits into the series arc as a whole, or even why the story needed to be told.

Special thanks to guest reviewer Betty of The Betz Review for contributing her review of Every Crooked Path.

Acknowledgment: Penguin Group provided a copy of Every Crooked Path for this review.

The King
Signet Select (Mass Market Paperback), July 2013
ISBN-13: 9780451239785; ISBN-10: 0451239784

Every Crooked Path

A Patrick Bowers Mystery by Steven James