I must say, this book took me a hot minute to get into because I wasn’t immediately sure how I felt about it and had to take a step back from it as a result. However, this said, once I gave it another chance, I was surprised by how deeply it grabbed my attention.
I think initially I struggled with investment into Gardner as a character because he comes across as so clinical and removed from people and it was hard to connect with him as a result. Once I got passed this and used to his personality I became so enmeshed in the story and the cat and mouse chase between the FBI and a serial killer killing, well, serial killers, that I flew through the pages and was surprised I sat on this book for so long.
Gardner is an incredibly intelligent agent and seeing him use his intelligence becomes something of an entrancing experience as he puts together connections other people aren’t prone to seeing. He also reveals himself to be a somewhat flawed individual who still manages to care about the people who really matter to him. He possesses some social limitations as someone who doesn’t quite fully understand people and social interactions despite his incredible intelligence, and seeing his interactions with the people who are important in his life really humanizes his character.
The case itself is so interesting to watch unfold, and the intelligence of the clues that unravel it bit by bit were so fascinating. On top of this, there are the high stakes of trying to catch a killer before they kill again, and the threat to Gardner as he gets closer to finding out who the serial killer is.
I really ended up enjoying Head Cases in the end, and it left me curious to read more of the series as it comes out. I’m thoroughly invested now.
