COLD FRONT

Anthony’s spy novel/whodunit follows several characters caught up in a traitor’s complicated plan.

In 1989, a young spy named Thomas Murdoch is mysteriously found dead in his hotel room in Bucharest. In the present day, Hinata Sakai, an employee of the International Atomic Energy Agency at the U.N., is murdered after he makes a discovery involving 30,000 pounds of spent nuclear-fuel waste—a situation that also places Ayumi Kagawa, his friend’s daughter, in grave danger. At the same time, Ingrid Garcia, a trained member of the Colombian Special Forces, combs the streets of New York City, looking for her kidnapped 12-year-old niece, Marlena. Although these events may seem disparate, they’re united by the yearslong criminal machinations of James Brewer, an opportunist and enabler of all forms of cruelty. Murdoch’s adult son, Kyle, with the support of Richard Dunn, his late father’s friend and colleague, aims to end Brewer’s reign of terror and fulfill a promise of revenge. From the novel’s opening pages, readers will find themselves pulled into Anthony’s narrative with vivid imagery, fast-paced action, and suspense that will keep them engaged. In Kyle, Anthony offers a sexy, likable hero who could carry a potential series, and Ingrid and Ayumi are both strong, capable characters, as well. That said, the plot sometimes hinges on overheard conversations and radio reports whose perfect timing seems implausible. Still, readers who are looking for pulse-pounding adventure will be happy to suspend disbelief until the exciting and satisfying conclusion.

A wild and often gripping adventure story.