Black Friday by Alex Kava

The provided text is comprised of excerpts from the novel Black Friday by Alex Kava, a Maggie O'Dell Novel, as indicated by the title page information and contents listing over eighty chapters. The narrative details a terrorist attack at the Mall of America on the day after Thanksgiving, revealing that three bombs were detonated by remote control using young people as unwitting carriers with identical red backpacks. The plot follows FBI Agent Maggie O'Dell, a profiler, who is brought in to investigate the bombing alongside local law enforcement, including Nick Morrelli, and Homeland Security Deputy Director Charlie Wurth, as they race to prevent a second attack planned for the following day at an airport. The core mystery revolves around the shadowy "Project Manager" hired by a secret group of businessmen, including Henry Lee, to orchestrate the events, leading to connections with the John Doe #2 conspiracy theory from the Oklahoma City bombing, which is further explored in an author’s note.