The novel “Skyflash” by Lee Gimenez was published for the first time in 2015. It’s part of the J.T. Ryan series.
The brutal murder of the Georgia governor’s wife is a high-profile case and FBI Assistant Director Erin Welch needs any help to solve it quickly, especially because the FBI director is trying to get rid of her. For this reason, she hires J.T. Ryan, who can operate outside the normal rules that law enforcement must respect.
The discovery of a new drug called Skyflash opens up disturbing scenarios because it ensures its users a period of increased physical strength and mental clarity but subsequently tends to cause fits of violence. When even J.T. Ryan’s girlfriend gets almost killed by a man in the throes of one of these fits, the private investigator is more motivated than ever to find out who’s behind Skyflash.
Lee Gimenez delivers another thriller in the J.T. Ryan series centered around the private investigator who operates in situations that are ethically and morally dubious, to say the least. He gets hired by FBI Assistant Director Erin Welch because her agents must observe laws and bureaucratic rules while J.T. Ryan can use quick and decidedly informal methods to get results.
The crimes that attract the FBI’s attention are committed following reactions caused by a new drug called Skyflash. New synthetic drugs are periodically released into the circulation of international traffickers and can be the result of sophisticated chemical work. Every time, law enforcement agencies must learn to recognize them and obtain information from doctors on their effects, including the harmful ones which in some cases include the risk of death. In the case of Skyflash, the harmful effects manifest themselves with a delay and even cause violent fits with consequences for innocent people who are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Lee Gimenez also develops the point of view of Skyflash creators, the Shaws, a married couple also used to tell the various ramifications that exist around their operation. This offers insights into some international drug trafficking and also some surprises due to the involvement of some unexpected partners. The author shows the motivations of these important characters, especially the Shaws, with their relationship which is truly appropriate to define as toxic.
These choices, in addition to giving important characters a development that strengthens the story, are also used to develop the plot in various ways. In this novel, J.T. Ryan’s job stuff gets mixed up with his personal life after his girlfriend is nearly killed by a man in a Skyflash-induced fit. The protagonist must travel to various locations to find crucial information for his investigation and people involved in Skyflash trafficking risking his life in various ways. Between twists, surprises, and revelations, there’s continuous action at a fast pace.
Told in Lee Gimenez’s dry style, “Skyflash” is a perfect novel for readers who love action-packed thrillers and plots full of twists. It’s part of the J.T. Ryan series but it tells a fully autonomous story with a proper ending, so you can read it and then decide if and when to continue with the novels in this series Lee Gimenez wrote in the following years. It’s available on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
