Head On

A police (FBI) procedural set in the near future, this is a fun mystery involving a sport where competitors tear the heads off their opponents and use that head to score points. Figuring out the who was easy, but the how (and why) eluded me until the end.

I really enjoyed the first book of this series for the strong characters and complete world description. This book is also solid, and I had time to focus on the strong characters - the vast majority of whom are women. Well done, John Scalzi. The gender of the main character is not revealed, continuing a theme from the first book - there are even two audio versions, recorded by male and female talent.

This story is slightly lower rated than the first for me. The attack on Shane's residence comes out of nowhere, and the explanation at the end is a little weak. Reporter calls to personal cell phones (the numbers were leaked) are also not explained, and though they could fit the first explanation, they really don't. Finally, this story focuses exclusively on the FBI aspects of Chris Shane, with little to no downtime.

Definitely recommended. It isn't necessary to start with the first book, but I would still recommend doing that - both stories are great.