Jim Brodie is a part-time private investigator, since he inherited half-ownership of Brodie Security, a detective firm founded by his late father in Tokyo. He finds the security business exciting and challenging, as well as dangerous, but the acquisition and sale of Japanese antique art is Brodie's first love. From his home base in San Francisco, Brodie has been working with local officials setting up an international art exhibit, the Pacific Rim Friendship Program. Brodie has convinced his good friend Ken Nobuki, a famous Japanese clay artist, to be a part of the committee meeting. When a sniper targets Nobuki and Brodie as they leave City Hall, Nobuki is shot and hospitalized. Could this incident be connected to the murder of Nobuki's oldest son a week earlier in Napa Valley? When Brodie is made an official consultant for the SFPD, he is again drawn into the world of crime and violence. And his main priority is to protect the rest of the Nobuki family.

Traveling to Japan, Brodie enlists the aid of the Brodie Security team in finding out who is targeting the high-profile profile Nobuki family—and why. Now the kill contract includes Brodie, as well. It soon becomes apparent there's a myriad of possible motives and suspects—Taiwanese gangsters, the Japanese nuclear mafia, political rivals over the Pacific Rim art project—but it's clear the mythical Steam Walker is the assassin. It will take finely honed, shrewd expertise for Brodie and his team to apprehend a legendary killer who can vanish like smoke.

Barry Lancet's PACIFIC BURN is a stellar detective thriller with a fast-paced, tense and complex storyline. I have been a fan of the characters in this unique series since I read/reviewed the first novel. With ample descriptions of Brodie's multifaceted life, one does not need to have read the first two books in the Jim Brodie series, JAPANTOWN and TOKYO KILL, to enjoy PACIFIC BURN. However, I suggest you do so, since both are excellent detective thrillers and provide added insight into Brodie's world of art collecting and PI work. I was mesmerized by Lancet's descriptions of Japanese art, Japanese lifestyle and customs, as well as the stunning locales of Japan and San Francisco. It is obvious Lancet is familiar with Tokyo and Japan, having lived there for over two decades, and I felt this added a realistic dimension to the exciting plot. Here's hoping Brodie's next thrilling adventure is as intriguing as the first three have been.