In this ninth installment of a thriller series, a pilot capable of floating while invisible runs into danger and desperate people.

Will Stewart survived a plane crash and acquired a new special ability. He can render himself invisible, at which point his body defies gravity. He essentially floats, but it’s easy to navigate with the propulsion devices he keeps handy. This short story collection features characters from the series’ preceding books, some of whom headline their own tales. The opening story, “Andy,” for example, tells of Will’s first encounter with the titular woman he one day marries—a savvy local patrol sergeant in their Wisconsin town. Most of those who surround Will are people he works with at Essex County Air Service. His boss, Earl Jackson, revisits his own past in “Earl Jackson’s Last Mission,” a time when he smuggled drugs, although, as he explains to Will, “not voluntarily.” Luckily, Will uses his supernatural ability for good, and he’s quick to respond when someone is in trouble, be it an Air Service client or a person he bumps into at a store. He comes to the aid of a meek man who is dead set on revenge and later joins fellow pilot/co-worker Cassidy “Pidge” Page in getting a young mother far away from her abusive boyfriend. These situations often put Will in jeopardy: He’s in the cockpit during a snowstorm, and he stares at the business end of a gun. But his special skills make him a formidable opponent to anyone who would dare threaten someone he knows or loves.

Seaborne offers a superpowered hero who’s sympathetic. Will is a pleasantly ordinary guy who uses his abilities in moderation, and only a few people know what he can do. Will’s attempts to vanish as covertly as possible make certain dilemmas more precarious or, on occasion, lightens the book’s generally somber tone. In one instance, copious police officers and security cameras prevent invisible Will from rematerializing until he finally ducks into a men’s room. In the same vein, there’s nothing flashy about Will’s abilities; they’re merely talents that couple nicely with his aviation expertise. In fact, his piloting seems more impressive, as jargon-filled descriptions of aircraft prove keen and concise. This includes the ostensibly mundane task of refueling: “As I poured 100LL Avgas into the last of four tanks, I examined the ramp. A shallow downslope flowed away from the gas pumps. I decided to see if I could simply push the airplane a few fuselage lengths away from the pumps, rather than start the engines and taxi clear.” In contrast, the author simplifies the hero’s vanishings and reappearances with a delightful cue, “Fwooomp!” (a “deep and breathy” sound Will apparently hears). Despite featuring such villainous deeds as robbery and murder, the volume isn’t excessively violent. Abundant profanity comes mostly from charmingly gruff Pidge, who “drops F-bombs on everything”—whether she’s angry or complimenting someone. This engaging compendium will surely pique new readers’ interest in earlier series installments.

A captivating, altruistic hero and appealing cast propel this enjoyable collection of supernatural-flavored tales.

A pilot uses his invisibility and floating power to investigate an assault, disappearances, and UFO fanatics in this ninth installment of a thriller series.

The boss of Wisconsin flight instructor and air charter pilot Will Stewart needs a favor. It’s no trouble for Will, especially since it gets him out of a dinner with his parents-in-law. All he’s doing is flying to a Montana ranch to look in on Tammy Day; her brother was an officer in Vietnam with Will’s boss and went missing in action. But things quickly escalate when, at the ranch, Will spots strangers chasing a man and pushing him off a cliff. This is where Will’s ability proves advantageous—he turns invisible and subverts gravity, utilizing handheld propulsion devices to control his floating. Will saves the victim, Wally Vandenlock, midplunge. The pilot learns that Wally had been searching for his aunt, who’s now apparently missing along with Tammy and others. The ranch has lately hosted what some locals call a cult, a group of “UFO devotees looking for signs from above.” Investigating further, Will realizes someone who’s part of this group has ties to an autistic boy he met just two weeks ago. Eight-year-old Boyd made his way to Will’s property all on his own. Boyd may be able to help track down the people who’ve vanished, and Will isn’t about to depart since the goons who nearly killed Wally are still out there. These vicious men show they’re more than capable of murder, raising the stakes for Will, whose amateur sleuthing takes him to Colorado and Iowa as well.

Seaborne’s latest series entry packs a good deal of mystery. Everything Will stumbles on, it seems, dredges up more questions, from photographs at Tammy’s ranch to the law firm he drops by. But Will and his cop wife, Andy, also face obstacles at home in Essex County. Shockingly, the American president, after surviving a sniper attack, somehow implied that Andy was the would-be assassin. Now, Essex locals, wanting Andy kicked off the police force, picket the couple’s lawn. All this shady stuff in Montana and unrest in Wisconsin make for a tense narrative, as Will confronts armed baddies and both he and Andy narrowly evade gunshots. The author certainly doesn’t embellish Will’s supernatural ability; it’s simply one of the hero’s myriad skills. The talent has its flaws, too, as Will would like to fly—and tries to without relying on his devices. Regardless, it’s fun to watch him adapt; he can secretly listen to others’ conversations while invisible, so long as he’s indoors or in an outside place where he can anchor himself. Will’s periodic sarcasm is welcome, as it’s good-natured and never overwhelming. While the rest of the cast, particularly ever resilient Andy, shines, the best moments feature Will and Boyd’s entertaining banter. Will, for example, tends to call the boy “kiddo,” leaving Boyd no other choice than to remind him repeatedly what his name is. Following the story’s memorable denouement, a lengthy epilogue adds a surprising element to this installment.

A smart, diverting tale of an audacious aviator with an extraordinary ability.

Seaborne’s good-natured, superpowered crime-solver returns in this latest installment of his supernatural thriller series.

As the latest novel featuring Wisconsin pilot and part-time superhero Will Stewart opens, a tense drama is unfolding at Essex County Air Service: A young woman Stewart helped to save from an abusive ex-boyfriend has “abducted” her own son to keep him out of harm’s way, and the author’s cast of regulars, including Stewart’s boss, Earl, their chaotic colleague, Pidge, and (by phone) Stewart’s pregnant wife, Detective Andrea “Andy” Stewart, all weigh in on the emergency just as a new crisis unfolds. Earl’s ex-wife, Candice Thorpe, has gone silent at Renell Lodge, the resort she runs in remote Itasca County. The crew flies out to investigate, but Andyurges Stewart not to get too involved, as he has a far more pressing upcoming obligation deriving from his very strange personal attributes. Years ago, Stewart survived a catastrophic plane crash (“The airplane wound up in pieces,” he recalls, “and I wound up sitting on the pilot’s seat in a marsh”) and emerged with an array of strange new abilities: he can fly (“My body remains solid,” he explains, “but gravity and I are no longer on speaking terms”), he can turn invisible, and, by utilizing a power he calls “the other thing,” he can cure the diseases of people he takes into his invisibility field. In two days, he needs to be in North Carolina to connect with a man named Spiro Lewko, a billionaire who’s determined to understand “the other thing” to heal “children who needed...more than known medicine had to offer.” Although Stewart agrees about the importance of that meeting, he’s sidetracked when he and his friends find Candice missing and Renell Lodge torn apart in ways that suggest the culprit may be… a werewolf.

The author once again skillfully interweaves elements of both a standard location-hopping adventure story with SF bordering on the supernatural; his Will Stewart is the one of the most believable unbelievable characters currently running in fiction. Seaborne’s evocation of the devastated Renell Lodge is convincingly eerie, as is the way he orchestrates his characters’ suspicion of Ray Minelli, who claims he was hiding in a tiny pantry the whole time something was ripping apart the resort and possibly abducting Candice. The author bills these Will Stewart novels as standalones in a series, but not all the good will or storytelling skill in the world can make this true when a series is progressing in real time and has reached its 11th installment; Seaborne does his best to work blocks of exposition into this story (characters are necessarily always explaining things to each other), but even so, newcomers will definitely feel like they're missing subtext and context as the story unfolds. Fortunately, the author compensates for this handicap by once again providing a lean, fast-paced, and unpredictable story. The cast of characters is likewise first-rate; in this latest outing, Lewko in particular proves to be a captivating figure. The interpersonal fireworks, plus some clever meshing of plot lines, will keep long-time readers of this series very satisfied.

An accomplished supernatural thriller from a series that keeps delivering.

In Seaborne’s novel, an air charter pilot with supernatural powers joins forces with his detective wife to solve a brutal murder and unravel a massive government conspiracy in the process.

Air charter pilot Will Stewart is back for the 12th installment of the author’s Divisible Man series—and this time, he and his detective wife, Andy, must rescue one of their own. Will’s colleague Pidge is in danger when an “amateur internet detective” threatens to expose Pidge’s identity as the mysterious blonde who disrupted a Nazi rally in Lincoln, Nebraska. Company W, a paramilitary insurgency group that specializes in all things racist, is willing to literally kill for that information—and it seems that they have done so when a young woman named Tiffany Vera Callum, mistakenly identified as the Nazi rally disruptor, is found dead, having been burned alive. As rumors swirl about the motivation behind Tiffany’s murder (as well as her sexual orientation, gender identity, and propensity for witchcraft), Will and Andy attempt to hunt down the presumed killers. Along the way, they stumble across clues to a conspiracy so big that it threatens the lives and livelihoods of everyone in America. Now, the race is on to warn the president about the backdoor dealings that may or may not involve some of his closest advisors—but Will and Andy can’t be sure who to trust, or how high up the chain of command the deadly plot really goes. Helping them along the way, as usual, is the use of Will’s extraordinary secret powers—namely, his abilities to fly and turn invisible: “This thing—what I call the other thing—allows me to disappear. It defies gravity. It cures where there is no cure. It saved me. It may kill me.”

With a smooth narrative style and snappy dialogue, Seaborne keeps the plot moving without ever getting bogged down in procedural details. He also manages to show a vulnerability in Will that makes the action-fueled character surprisingly relatable—still traumatized by a past shooting, Will realizes there’s even more at stake now that Andy’s pregnant: “I’ve grown paranoid and prejudiced. Since the brave American patriots of Company W shot my house to pieces, parts of the country I once relished for rural flavor and the wholesome lifestyle I grew up in now feel to me like havens for men whose beliefs had been pretzel twisted until they justified opening fire on the home of a law enforcement officer.” Readers will likely draw some pretty obvious (and depressing) parallels between the book’s conspiracy plot and modern politics, which make this series entry feel all the more relevant. There are sure to be readers who wish that Will was just a normal protagonist without any superpowers—following him invisibly floating around a hotel room to retrieve a bank password can be a bit jarring. It is a testament to Seaborne’s prowess as a writer that Will’s paranormal abilities exist seamlessly (for the most part) right alongside the hyper-realistic, grounded action plot that swirls around him. While the novel functions much more solidly as an action thriller than a superhero story, the two genres coexist comfortably, ultimately coming together to form a tale that’s equal parts heartfelt and intriguing.

Another slickly-plotted, adrenaline-fueled installment showcasing a superior police procedural with a twist.

Seaborne’s thriller features the return of superpowered action hero Will Stewart.

In this 10th installment in his contemporary adventure series, the author continues the exploits of Will Stewart, an air charter pilot, and his wife, Andy, a detective in Wisconsin’s Essex County Police Department (characterized by her husband as “an equal opportunity juggernaut of justice”). Will and Andy are briefed by FBI Special Agent Leslie Carson-Pelham and her colleagues on the inner workings of a paramilitary insurgency group known as Company W (“The W stands for White and the military grade high-capacity semiautomatic rifles they carry promise supremacy of arms, if not intellect”). Will and Andy have had near-fatal encounters with Company W before and have always been stymied by the compartmentalized nature of the group. “It’s not an organization with a headquarters,” they’re told by Carson-Pelham. “It’s like a cloud or a fog moving across the landscape. Arch conservativism. Racism. White supremacy. Grievance. Fascism by a dozen different names.” The couple are swept up in a complex plot involving the desperate plight of children in a hospice program, with tendrils of corruption and evil extending from Galveston to the Florida Keys. The narrative includes a number of suspicious figures, some of them connected to an evil pharmaceutical company that will arouse readers’ suspicions right from the start. Though the narrative gives a generous amount of the spotlight to Andy, Will is a natural scene-stealer by virtue of his actual superpowers: He can both fly and vanish from sight.

Considering the outsized, comic-book premise, it continues to be downright amazing how grounded Seaborne’s world consistently feels. Yes, Will Stewart has some Marvel-style paranormal gifts, but both his abilities and personality are so thoroughly fleshed out and believable that, in no time at all, the reader matter-of-factly integrates these fantastical elements into the standard heroics-and-gunfire action without a second thought. “This isn’t one of your silly action movies where all the clues line up in the third reel,” Andy deadpans. “It’s hundreds of hours of boring investigative work, connecting dots, scouring phone records, scraping through emails and texts, building cases.” This latest entry in the series maintains the same grounded, workaday feeling, but both Will and Andy consistently strain against it—they’re full-fledged action heroes, always ready to respond with Hollywood-style quips and larger-than-life violence. The author effectively fleshes out even minor walk-on characters, and his portrayal of the loving relationship between his two heroes continues to be the most satisfying aspect of the series, the kind of three-dimensional adult relationship remarkably rare in thrillers like this one. The author’s skill at pacing is razor-sharp—the book is a compulsive page-turner right up until the obligatory exposition dump near the end. The descriptions of the actual workings of Will’s powers are uniformly gripping; it makes the book feel like the best possible combination of the Odd Thomas novels of Dean Koontz and the Jack Reacher novels of Lee Child.

An irresistible, high-stakes, cross-country adventure about a man with amazing gifts.

In this eighth series thriller, a pilot who can float while invisible investigates a sniper targeting far-right extremists.

Will Stewart, a pilot at Wisconsin’s Essex County Airport, has a way of getting involved in tense, high-stakes rescues and criminal investigations. An accident mysteriously endowed him with the ability to render himself imperceptible to the naked eye, and also float in a way that isn’t subject to inertia or gravity; over time, he’s discovered various ways to control his flight. For direction and velocity, he nearly always relies on homemade, handheld propeller units, which are useful but limited by battery life. Will often partners with his brilliant, dedicated wife, Detective Andy Stewart, who’s now attending an FBI training program. Few others know of Will’s abilities, but one who does is FBI Special Agent Leslie Carson-Pelham, whose late boss told her the secret. She asks Will to eavesdrop on a right-wing White supremacist’s plans to mount an attack on the U.S. government and start a race war; instead, Will witnesses the man’s death by sniper fire. It’s just one in a string of hits on extremist targets, and although Will foils a would-be kidnapping and helps bring down a chief suspect, it’s soon clear that the killer is still on the loose, which causes general panic. On leave from the Academy, Andy consults with one of her instructors, Mrs. Palmer, who displays razor-sharp intelligence, a genius for invention, and world-class ballistics expertise. She has invaluable and surprising insights that suggest that the sniper’s next target will be the president of the United States, so she and the Stewarts converge on the president’s Detroit campaign rally. Along the way, multiple deceptions put Will and Andy in mortal danger—and could lead to a national political firestorm.

Any reader of this series knows that they’re in good hands with Seaborne, who’s a natural storyteller. His descriptions and dialogue are crisp, and his characters deftly sketched; for example, Pidge, an ace pilot whom Will trained, is described as “a little under five feet of coiled cobra with short blonde hair and a disarming pixie smile” whom Will “always assumed would die alone in a bar fight at the age of ninety.” The book keeps readers tied into its complex and exciting thriller plot with lucid and graceful exposition, laying out clues with cleverness and subtlety. In one instance, for example, Will is afloat, reconnoitering a scene; later on, an almost accidental observation he made before leads him directly to a crucial realization. It doesn’t feel contrived, and neither do some other surprising plot twists. Seaborne gives a pilot’s attention to the aerodynamics of Will’s self-powered flights, during which he must account for obstacles, such as power lines, while working out trajectories, and so on, which gives the book a satisfying procedural air. Also, although Will’s abilities are powerful, they have reasonable limitations, and the protagonist is always a relatable character with plenty of humanity and humor.

Another riveting, taut, and timely adventure with engaging characters and a great premise.

A pilot endowed with self-powered, invisible flight takes on a ruthless conspiracy in this seventh installment of a thriller series.

In his previous outings, 34-year-old pilot Will Stewart has helped thwart several serious crimes by using the special ability he calls “the other thing,” which allows him to vanish and float in the air. He must employ hand-held, battery-operated props, which he keeps tinkering with, to control his direction and velocity. Called in to pick up a passenger for a charter pilot job, Will learns that his client is famed actress Lonnie Penn, who wants to be taken to an isolated South Dakota motel. An anonymous caller has demanded half a million dollars in exchange for the Mexican grandson she didn’t know she had or he’ll be deported. But at the handover, Lonnie is attacked, and there’s no child to be found. Since Will’s wife, Andrea—called Andy—is a police detective, he asks her to investigate. Meanwhile, FBI Deputy Director Mitchell Lindsay invites Will and Andy to a meeting at his island vacation home. He’s in on Will’s secret and wants to discuss how the pilot might help the bureau. But before talks can get under way, Lindsay is assassinated on his way to a separate meeting with Aaron McCauley, a high-powered lawyer whose Washington, D.C., firm represents sketchy clients. One is a group of Russian investors tied to organized crime. They’ve bought out a Mexican cartel, supposedly to shift it to legitimate activities. Another client is “a cabal of ruthless military officers” in democratic Ghana, aiming for control of its gold resources. Will, Andy, and law enforcement allies work to unravel these tangled threads in the United States and across the border, hoping to unmask a conspiracy that aims at the heart of the American judicial branch.

Fans of the series may find that the premise is getting familiar. However fascinating, the details of how Will works with the abilities and limitations of his gift remain much the same from the previous novel. This volume also doesn’t provide any new developments in understanding the source of the other thing, nor does it further explore another facet of Will’s unusual powers: curing children of leukemia. That said, Seaborne is never less than a spellbinding storyteller, keeping his complicated but clearly explicated plot moving smoothly from one nail-biting scenario to another. As the tale goes along, seemingly disparate plotlines begin to satisfyingly connect in ways that will keep readers guessing until the explosive (in more ways than one) action-movie denouement. The author’s grasp of global politics gives depth to the book’s thriller elements, which are nicely balanced by thoughtful characterizations. Even minor characters come across in three dimensions, and Will himself is an endearing narrator. He’s lovestruck by his gorgeous, intelligent, and strong-willed wife; has his heart and social conscience in the right place; and is boyishly thrilled by the other thing.

A solid series entry that is, as usual, exciting, intricately plotted, and thoroughly entertaining.

In Seaborne’s sixth series adventure, a pilot who can turn invisible and fly tackles a tangle of crimes, including serial killing and extortion.

It’s been a jam-packed year for Essex County Airport charter pilot Will Stewart since the midair collision that should have killed him. The crash left him with an amazing ability: he can float invisibly, no longer “subject to the laws of inertia and mass and gravity.” He’s called on this power, which he calls “the other thing,” to uncover truths and right wrongs committed by otherwise untouchable malefactors. While he’s invisible, Will can make other people float, too, which has allowed him to perform amazing rescues. Although he’s tried to keep his gift a secret, a small group, including his police detective wife, Andy, is in the know, and they’re concerned that online-retail billionaire Spiro Lewko has gotten his hands on the only surviving piece of debris from the mysterious object that collided with Will. Lewko intends to study the object at his highly secure, state-of-the-art research facility. Meanwhile, a vicious serial killer is murdering isolated farm families and threatens to keep doing so unless he receives $100 million from the Stewarts’ wealthy friend Sandy Stone. To raise the money, Stone must sell a valuable lakeside property that a National Football League star is currently renting. The athlete was recently arrested for providing alcohol to minors, so he’s broken the lease—a convenient situation for arrogant real estate developer Emilio DeSantorini, who wants to buy the property. Once again, Will must employ his special talents, join with allies, and investigate interrelated cases to ensure that justice is done.

Seaborne shows himself to be a reliably splendid storyteller in this latest outing. The plot is intricate and could have been confusing in lesser hands, but the author manages it well, keeping readers oriented amid unexpected developments. He captures a particular cultural zeitgeist by using bitcoin and the dark web as story elements, and he offers original characters that call to mind real-life figures, such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Donald Trump. His crisp writing about complex scenes and concepts is another strong suit, as when he describes Lewko’s laboratory, “a set director’s dream for a science fiction picture” where “sequential lights glowed in the floor, throbbing like weird luminescent water flowers sunk in an acrylic pond.” The fantasy of self-powered flight remains absolutely compelling, each installment bringing new revelations regarding its possibilities and origins. As a former charter pilot, Seaborne conveys Will’s delight not only in “the other thing,” but also in airplanes and the world of flight—an engaging subculture that he ably brings to life for the reader. Will is heroic and daring, as one would expect, but he’s also funny, compassionate, and affectionate. While embracing a troubled woman, for example, he reflects on his own feelings: “It wasn’t attraction, but it was love….The kind that hides beneath the skin of humanity and peeks out when tragedy reminds us that everyone around us reflects the face we see in the mirror.”

A gripping, timely, and twisty thriller.

When Russian oligarchs try to meddle in American politics, a pilot who can fly invisibly tries to thwart them in this fifth installment of a series.

It’s been almost a year since the small-plane crash that pilot Will Stewart barely survived. It should have killed him—but instead, the accident has left Will with the gift of invisible floating, a phenomenon he calls “the other thing.” Over time, he’s learned more about his gift and how to control his flight with mechanical devices, although he’s still working on propelling himself through thought alone. He’s used the other thing to help his wife, police detective Andrea “Andy” Stewart, solve cases. He’s rescued innocents, intimidated criminal bigshots into better behavior, and—through a still-mysterious process—cured some dying children. Will finally has medical clearance to return to work as a charter pilot for the Essex County Air Service in Wisconsin, but a quiet life isn’t in the cards. Special Agent Lee Donaldson turns up wanting Andy’s help with Josiah James, a racist talk radio host and conspiracy theorist. Since Will last saw Donaldson providing private security for a billionaire criminal, he’s not sure whether the agent can be trusted. But James’ hatemongering played a role in a local tragedy, giving the Stewarts motivation to look into him. Their investigation takes a turn when James is assassinated at a rally by an old man, leading Will and Andy into a complicated maze of conspiracy, the dark net, Cold War spycraft, and Russian interference in United States politics, all while attempting to protect the secret of the other thing. Seaborne (Divisible Man: The Seventh Star, 2019, etc.), a former flight instructor and charter pilot, continues his winning streak in this series, offering another page-turner. By having Will’s knowledge of and control over his powers continue to expand while the questions over how he should best deploy his abilities grow, Seaborne keeps the concept fresh and readers guessing. Information about what actually happened during the crash (which Will can’t remember) has been doled out by the quarter-teaspoonful, which is enticing—and sometimes frustrating. But the thriller nicely thinks through matters like Will’s being the perfect spy: “I don’t speak Russian. Or Arabic. Or any other language. I can’t read the Russian signs that say, ‘This Way To Secret World Takeover Laboratory.’ People don’t sit around chatting about their evil plans.” Meanwhile, Will’s enemies are becoming aware of him and perhaps developing techniques to detect him, which makes the question of how he can protect himself while doing the most good a thorny one. The conspiracy is highly dramatic yet not implausible given today’s political events, and the action sequences are excitingly cinematic. It does seem past time for Will to make some kind of plan instead of reacting to events, giving readers much to anticipate in the next volume.

Another compelling and hugely fun adventure that delivers a thrill ride.

In this fourth thriller in a series, a pilot with the gift of invisible flight investigates the links between a suspicious death, a dangerous fugitive, and a powerful lobbyist.

A lot has happened in the six months since 33-year-old Will Stewart, a charter pilot for Wisconsin’s Essex County Air Services, miraculously survived an unexplained accident that crashed his small plane. Even more miraculously, the mishap mysteriously left Will with the ability to turn invisible and fly. Currently grounded while waiting for medical clearance, he’s been perfecting his self-powered flight and developing gadgets to help with aim and propulsion. He’s also used his abilities to make some amazing rescues and has helped his wife, Essex County police detective Andrea “Andy” Stewart, solve several crimes. Three weeks ago, someone tried to kill her sister Lydia, believing that she was Andy. The suspect is Mannis Rahn, who’s connected with the previous book’s case, which involved a high-society robbery and lobbyists for private prisons. Now it’s Christmas, and Lydia’s lobbyist husband, Davis Bates, whom she’s divorcing, has been found dead. It could be suicide—but more likely, it’s murder. Andy and Will investigate in Washington, D.C., and follow up leads connected to Davis’ lobbying firm, Rahn, and a mysterious redheaded woman who may have a crucial piece of evidence. Will faces several tests of character that challenge him to use his abilities for good, including a situation involving a possible school shooter and another involving an immensely powerful player in American politics. As in this series’ three previous books, Seaborne (Divisible Man: The Second Ghost, 2018, etc.), a former flight instructor and charter pilot, proves that he’s a natural-born storyteller, serving up an exciting, well-written thriller. He makes even minor moments in the story memorable with his sharp, evocative prose, as when he describes a parking lot in which “Evenly-spaced lamps all around us cast down cones of lighted mist—creating a magical forest of transparent Christmas trees.” Every reader will be able to relate to the fantasy of being able to fly, and Seaborne keeps that idea fresh by allowing Will to find new and different ways to master his ability. Will’s smart, humane, and humorous narrative voice is appealing, as is his sincere appreciation for Andy—not just for her considerable beauty, but also for her dedication and intelligence. As before, Seaborne does a fine job of making side characters and locales believable. It’s deeply gratifying to see Will deliver righteous justice to some very bad people; a nice scene on top of a municipal water tower will have readers wishing that they could step into Will’s shoes. Readers of the series so far will enjoy seeing Will’s horizons grow as he considers the use of his powers, which seem to have effects beyond invisibility and flight. He also expresses reasonable fears that his powers could put him at risk from others who may want to use them for either humanitarian or selfish purposes.

An intensely satisfying thriller—another winner from Seaborne.

A man with the powers of flight and invisibility uses them to help investigate a sex-trafficking ring in this third novel in a series.

Five months ago, Will Stewart, 33, a regional pilot for Essex County Air Services in Wisconsin, survived the crash of his small plane—an accident that remains unexplained. He’s still waiting for a medical evaluation to clear him to fly again and restore his pilot’s license; his neurologist, Dr. Doug Stephenson, is concerned about some imaging results, which show a tangled, wiry structure in Will’s brain. But what Stephenson doesn’t know—and what almost no one else knows—is that the accident left Will with a strange and wonderful gift that he calls “the other thing”: He can become invisible and float in the air. Over the past months, he’s been perfecting a set of hand-operated propulsion devices that give him more control over his ability, which he’s used in two previous adventures to help his 20-something wife, Andrea “Andy” Taylor, a police detective, solve crimes and rescue innocents. Now, one night in early December, Will and Andy are having a rare date night when they get an emergency page from teenage Lane Franklin. She’s in on the secret, as Will used the other thing to save her from abduction a few months before; now his abilities are desperately needed to prevent Lane’s distraught friend from shooting herself. The girl, Sarah, is being blackmailed by someone who has a nude photo of her, taken somehow without her knowledge. Will quickly solves the immediate threat, but the investigation into how the picture was taken points toward a larger, more serious criminal enterprise targeting female high school athletes. Will must push his abilities to their limits in order to bring down the bad guys. As in the previous two outings, Seaborne (Divisible Man: The Sixth Pawn, 2018), a former flight instructor and charter pilot, delivers a solid, well-written tale that taps into the near-universal dream of personal flight. Seaborne makes the other thing integral to the plot in a way that never feels gimmicky, and three novels in, the protagonist is still discovering new and intriguing aspects of his gift. Will’s narrative voice is engaging and crisp, clearly explaining technical matters while never losing sight of humane, emotional concerns. The environments he describes, from regional airlines to big-city police departments, feel absolutely real. Also, as before, the side characters are well-drawn, including Will’s fellow pilot, 22-year-old “Pidge” Page, who’s feisty, foulmouthed, and game for anything—the more dangerous, the better. The plot moves along briskly and has a satisfying conclusion, although the girl-in-trouble plotline is a bit similar to that in the first installment of the series. It also doesn’t follow up on the ending of the second book’s story, which suggested bigger plans for Will’s gift than reconnoitering and rescues. As the protagonist gains more control over the other thing, it would be nice to see him dream a little bigger.

Another intelligent and exciting superpowered thriller.

In this novel, second in a series, a pilot who can float invisibly helps his police-sergeant wife investigate a violent wedding robbery.

Married couple Will Stewart and Andrea “Andy” Taylor aren’t movers and shakers. He’s a regional pilot for Essex County Air Services in Wisconsin, on temporary suspension until the accident that injured him and wrecked his plane is fully investigated. She’s a police sergeant in Essex County, Wisconsin. Nevertheless, they’re attending a society wedding filled with billionaires because Andy belongs to a book club with the bride, kindergarten teacher (and Sen. Bob Stone’s daughter) Sandra, who’s marrying Todd Jameson, a political up-and-comer close to the governor. But the fancy wedding ends in tragedy when masked gunmen burst in, stealing cash gifts and terrorizing the crowd with gunshots—one fatally wounds the bride’s father. Since his accident, for still-unexplained reasons, Will can become invisible and float like an astronaut in space, but he lacks propulsion and is limited by the need for a tether, though he’s been trying to perfect a more reliable propulsion method for “the other thing,” as he dubs his ability. Doing his best, Will uses the other thing to get closer to the bad guys before their escape, and he learns a few details. The one in charge, for example, has a neo-Nazi tattoo on his hand. This clue helps lead Andy to a rural hideout for white supremacists, but signs point to a larger, more sinister political conspiracy. With Sandra now in danger, Andy, Will, and fellow pilot Cassidy Evelyn “Pidge” Page, 22, mount a daring rescue that will test Pidge’s aviation skills to the utmost. But the real behind-the-scenes player remains untouchable thanks to wealth and power—unless Will can bring off a bold and cunning plan. Seaborne (Divisible Man, 2018), a former flight instructor and charter pilot, once again gives readers a crisply written thriller. Even minor observations are sharp: A midcentury motel, for example, looks “like a row of shoe boxes, glued together side by side.” Self-powered flight is a potent fantasy, and Seaborne explores its joys and difficulties engagingly. Will’s narrative voice is amusing, intelligent, and humane; he draws readers in with his wit, appreciation for his wife, and his flight-drunk joy. The dialogue throughout is snappy and does a fine job of revealing character, as, for example, when Earl Jackson, Will’s crusty but heart-of-gold boss, tells Sandra “Your dad and I never fight. I enlighten. He chooses not to be enlightened.” Action, too, illuminates character; for example, a dangerous flying maneuver shows Pidge’s badass, death-defying skill and bravery. Seaborne chooses his villains well, with timely links to torn-from-the-headlines issues like for-profit prisons. The book’s several action set pieces are well-orchestrated and exciting, with big emotional payoffs. The ending is surprising and offers deep satisfaction while also suggesting a new, intriguing direction for Will to use his abilities. Readers will be impatient for the novel’s planned sequel.

Even more entertaining than its predecessor—a great read.

In this debut thriller, a pilot survives a crash and discovers that he’s developed strange abilities, which come in handy when someone kidnaps his friend’s daughter.

Will Stewart, a 30-something pilot for Essex County Air Services, wakes in an Essex, Wisconsin, hospital with a broken pelvis, lucky to be alive after his twin-engine airplane accident. He remembers nothing—but what’s more unsettling is the fact that he’s floating 6 feet above his bed, his body invisible. When the moment passes, Will initially chalks it up to a morphine-induced hallucination. Later, he’s not so sure, but he’s hesitant about testing himself further. For one thing, he doesn’t want to give his 23-year-old police-sergeant wife, Andrea “Andy” Taylor, anything else to worry about. However, Will can’t resist using his new powers, especially after he’s home from the hospital. With practice, he discovers that he can control his invisible floating, and that anything he’s wearing becomes invisible, as well. For a man who loves flying planes, it’s a huge rush: “I felt joy in its purest form. First solo flight joy. First time popping up through the clouds joy. First love joy.” Will perfects his floating technique a bit slowly, but it’s enjoyable to watch his growing mastery. Then disaster hits when gangsters kidnap Lane Franklin, the 14-year-old daughter of the air service’s office manager, in Essex, where she and her mother live. A member of the gang later tells Andy that Lane was “selected by someone big, someone on top.” The cop joins the hunt to find her, and Will feels “the dawning of a brilliant, and possibly insane idea” involving his new abilities. If he can pull it off, he’ll save an innocent girl from a terrible fate. Seaborne, a flight instructor and charter pilot, vividly evokes the world of charter airlines and those who populate them, particularly with his well-drawn character sketches. For example, he ably evokes the owner of Essex County Air Services, Earl Jackson, who sold his lucrative business and now “prefers to spend his days sitting in a tiny office crammed with maintenance manuals and pondering fuel purchases.” The book offers lots of information on aviation and law enforcement, but it’s nicely counterbalanced with warm human relationships, such as the one between Will and Andy. The novel’s latter half shows how Will’s practice sessions pay off, offering several satisfying outcomes. However, this second part lacks the plausibility that Seaborne so carefully constructs in the first, and more closely resembles an extended action sequence in a superhero tale, although, in this case, Will is still learning to control his powers. The thugs are standard issue, and with few candidates to choose from, the main villain’s identity isn’t hard to guess. That said, Milwaukee is well-described, from its boarded-up inner-city houses to its luxe mansions on Lake Drive. Altogether, this book is a strong start to a series, which will continue in Divisible Man: The Sixth Pawn.

Well-written and engaging, with memorable characters and an intriguing hero.