The novel “FBI Code Red” by Lee Gimenez was published for the first time in 2017. It’s part of the J.T. Ryan series.
J.T. Ryan hired Lisa Booth, a young detective who can assist him during his investigations. The opportunity arrives immediately, when FBI Assistant Director Erin Welch tasks him with gathering information on a possible money laundering case. The suspicion is confirmed when the two private detectives intercept the clandestine transport of a huge amount of money.
The traces connect the money to the Chinese embassy but it is practically impossible to follow them using normal means even for J.T. Ryan. His interference was noticed and the director of the FBI declares a Code Red that means that J.T. Ryan is placed on the terrorist list. The man turns to one of the very few people he trusts to prove his innocence.
The events of “FBI Code Red” follow those of “The Media Murders” with J.T. Ryan who is also dealing with personal problems after he was dumped by his girlfriend. In a fast-paced novel, that part is developed quickly as well with ramifications that intertwine with the plot connected to the case that the investigator helps the FBI solve in this book.
Lee Gimenez includes enough information to allow the readers who haven’t read the previous novels in this series to understand what happened to the protagonist to make this novel standalone. However, being familiar with this series makes it easier to understand J.T.’s Ryan behaviors such as using really awkward humor when he’s uncomfortable and his relationship with the very few people he trusts.
To develop “FBI Code Red” Lee Gimenez was inspired by cases in which China acted to get its hands on resources that are important to the USA. Typically, these are resources acquired from other countries but could the Chinese try to acquire resources produced on American soil? That’s intertwined with the theme of corruption, which can also include very important people, an element that is not new in J.T. Ryan’s novels.
What’s new in “FBI Code Red” is that J.T. Ryan must face not only well-armed, trigger-happy criminals but also American law enforcement agencies after he finds himself placed on the terrorist watchlist. The plot with the protagonist framed and forced to hide is a classic that Lee Gimenez develops within the environment in which J.T. Ryan lives and works.
Normally, the investigator has no qualms about returning fire when someone shoots at him but when it comes to FBI agents or some other law enforcement agency the matter is very different. Even Erin Welch started believing in his guilt, forcing him more than ever to take considerable risks to find evidence against the real criminals, essential to clear his name and foil their nefarious plans against the USA.
“FBI Code Red” is told like the previous novels in the J.T. Ryan series with Lee Gimenez’s typical dry style and is excellent for readers who like action-packed thrillers with a very fast pace and plots with many twists. This is another perfect novel for readers who appreciate stories that have ramifications on a political level as well. It has a real ending so you can read it and then decide if and when to continue with the novels in this series the author wrote in the following years. It’s available on Amazon USA, UK, and Canada.
