3.5 stars out of 5

As un-John Cleaver as I dubbed the previous book (4), as thrilling and very John Cleaver I rate this one. Dan has really picked up his slack and wrote an excellent book, much better than all his previous ones.
The villain is original and scary in a non-splatter-horror-way. I could see from miles away who it was, and at times it was very frustrating that someone supposedly brilliant as John couldn't piece this together. I wanted to scream time and time again at him that Athena was a woman's name, a she, not a he. The red herrings were very transparent foils, but I'm not reading Dan Wells books for their brilliant plotting and mystery. I read them because of the characterization. John and Brooke shone in this book. John is at his best without an FBI clique to babysit him. There was his sociopathy again, better than in the previous book, more believable as character-growth in a sociopath. Brooke's arc was very poignant, and most excellently written. It was intense and quiet at the same time. I loved the way it ended: just right, the only way to end this book.

I thoughly enjoyed this book and I hope the next one will be as good.