There are many suspense and mystery series which can be read out of order. This isn't one of them. There isn't sufficient backstory (though the author does try) to place a new reader in context and allow him to catch up with the regular characters. So, if you haven't read anything by Mr. Sears before, don't start here. After a promising, but not stellar, debut novel, and a much better sequel, this third book flounders a bit. It settles down in the second half, with clever chase scenes, thrills and a few chills. As for the Villain, there's more than one, and I guessed the identity at the first mention. There's a clever little bread crumb in the description of the character that the reader can detect right away. As for the convoluted plot, it includes insider trading, the rich and shameless, alternative energy sources, and computer hackers. There are any number of murders, endless Bad Guys willing to commit more, and the usual cast of characters: the almost-middle-aged hero, his autistic son, his girlfriend...who wants to become the mother of his next child...his father, his father's girlfriend, his employer, a buddy in the FBI, a friend who used to be his girlfriend's employer, the friend's new employee...as you can see, there are many characters. That's apart from a victim (or is he a villain), his wife, assorted lawyers and bankers...now you know why it isn't possible to convey sufficient details on the people, and you'll need to read the first two books to understand the third. In 340 pages, you have all the above characters, and plenty more, as well as the intricate plot and assorted secondary characters who appear for a few pages, and to top it off, there are chase scenes and fight scenes and scenes from Long Island to the Caribbean to New Mexico. I think the author needs to consider what he wants to tell the reader and pare down the rest. He's trying to cram an awful lot into too few pages. However, I'm willing to read the next book in the series to see if he improves.