I read a lot of books, so committing to a series can be surprisingly difficult. I’ve started countless series over the years, but it’s rare for me to follow through and read the second book. It’s not for lack of interest. There are just so many other options competing for my attention. In fact, I think James Patterson’s Alex Cross is the only series I’ve read completely from start to finish. Even longtime favorites like Patricia Cornwell’s Kay Scarpetta and John Sandford’s Prey series have seen me dip in and out rather than stay the course.
So when I picked up John McMahon’s Head Cases last year—the first in a new series featuring FBI Agent Gardner Camden—I was genuinely surprised. Not only did I enjoy it, but I also finished the book eager for more. Now the sequel, Inside Man, is here, and I have a strong feeling this is going to be one of those rare series I actually keep up with.
McMahon drops us back in with the FBI’s Patterns and Recognition (PAR) unit, led by the brilliant but socially awkward Gardner Camden. The team is deep into an investigation of a militia group stockpiling weapons when their informant is suddenly killed. At first glance, the murder seems connected to the militia, but the evidence doesn’t quite add up. Someone else appears to be pulling the strings.
As the PAR unit digs deeper, they uncover the informant’s connection to another man, one suspected of murdering and burying women across Florida. Have they stumbled onto a serial killer? And if so, how does that trail intersect with the domestic terrorism case already on their plate? As Camden works to untangle both threads, he’s pushed to his breaking point. He’s built his career on recognizing patterns others miss, but this case may finally overwhelm even his remarkable instincts.
With Inside Man, John McMahon proves that there are not only more stories to tell featuring Garner Camden, but that each installment can stand apart from the last. While Inside Man lacks some of the breakneck urgency of the cat-and-mouse chase that drove the first book, I didn’t mind seeing these characters operate in a different kind of story. In fact, I appreciated getting a clearer sense of how this specialized unit is meant to deploy across a wide range of FBI cases.
McMahon also gives his characters room to grow, allowing Camden to grapple with the realities of his mother’s illness, his daughter growing up (and possibly sharing some of his own remarkable abilities), and even the tentative beginnings of a romance. That added emotional depth enriches our connection to the series and makes Inside Man feel like more than just a follow-up. It feels like a meaningful step forward. It’s a direction that has me fully invested in wherever this series goes next.
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(2026, 4)
