A tightly focused and exciting second installment of a thriller series.
A just-retired Navy SEAL tries to save his Vietnamese mother from a drug lord in this thriller sequel.
It’s been over 40 years since Mai Cordell has seen her adopted brother, Dish. She left her home country of Vietnam with a United States soldier named Curtis, and the two married and started a family in America. She finally returns to Vietnam to reunite with Dish, but asking locals about her brother catches the attention of Trần Nam Tin. He’s a drug smuggler who seems intent on controlling operations in the three-nation region (including Laos and Cambodia). Dish, meanwhile, is a gun smuggler who helps arm anti-communist rebels. After he and his comrades attack some of the drug lord’s men, Dish sends a warning to Trần that he “is going to come for him.” Consequently, Trần abducts Mai to bait Dish. When Mai’s son, JD, learns what has happened, he, his Navy SEAL pals, and his trained Belgian Malinois, Ajax, head to Thailand with a plan to sneak into Vietnam. At the same time, Dish searches for his sister; once he teams up with his nephew, they’ll hopefully be able to find Mai and rescue her. Like the series’ first installment, Gilbert’s enjoyable sequel offers some rousing subplots, including—prior to JD’s retirement—SEAL Team 5’s attempts to rescue Dr. Ellen Chang, whom terrorists kidnapped for ransom in Niger. But this novel concentrates on fewer characters, such as the returning players Curtis, Mai, and Ajax. There’s also less action, though there are several opportunities for JD to demonstrate the Vietnamese martial art Nguyen-Ryu, which Mai and Curtis taught him. Still, the narrative gradually builds to a tense latter half, with Mai as Trần’s hostage and Dish in his crosshairs. JD’s story also evolves as the well-established hero suffers more than one loss.
A tightly focused and exciting second installment of a thriller series. (acknowledgements, author bio)Pub Date: June 30, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73460-232-6
Page Count: 302
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 24, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.
What hasn’t legendary legal eagle Grisham tried yet? How about a thriller about serial kidnapping and international terrorism.
When Paul and Chelsea Tanner disappear during a day trip on their Paris honeymoon, their abductors demand a ransom of $2 million from Chelsea’s wealthy parents, and a few days later the same sum from Paul’s much less well-heeled parents. After orthopedist Lowell Clayburn, Chelsea’s father, ponies up the ransom without breathing a word to the authorities, his daughter is promptly released. But even though Paul’s parents sell their home, liquidate their assets, and borrow money from the Clayburns to meet the kidnappers’ demands, the villains hold on to Paul anyway. Asked whether he’s ever seen such an outcome in a double kidnapping, FBI deputy director Andrew Strong tells Lowell: “No, this is a new one.” But it’s not, as Strong knows all too well; it’s the third such active case, all involving honeymooning couples whose bridegrooms had served in the armed forces. After masterfully drawing readers in with his bare-knuckle account of the Tanners’ abduction and the attempt by their families and the CIA to tell the lies required to keep caring friends and the rapacious press at bay, Grisham effortlessly switches gears to follow CIA agent Rae Claire Russo and Stuart Nash, a former Department of Justice prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay who agrees to marry her so they can serve as bait for the kidnappers, whose motives include justice and revenge as well as cold hard cash. So much for the imprisoned Paul’s wistful reflection that “hopefully, it was only about money.”
The story unfolds so irresistibly that newcomers may think Grisham’s been writing thrillers like this his whole life.Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780385550543
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2026
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.
A violent attack hijacks a woman’s memory in this novel of domestic suspense.
McFadden wastes no time pulling the trigger in this harrowing story that starts with gunfire then swiftly propels readers into a crack tale of secrets and misdirection. Originally self-published in 2016, the book carries the same formidable weight as McFadden’s later novels featuring unsuspecting women who lose their power then fight to recapture it—mostly from men who have betrayed them. That formula perfectly fits Dr. Charlotte McKenna, a 37-year-old dermatologist who isn’t looking for love until the most handsome man she’s ever seen begins to woo her. There are warning signs about Clark Douglas and Charlotte overlooks them to her detriment—but is he a killer? The novel has dual timelines split between events leading up to the day Charlotte barely survives a head wound meant to kill her and the months afterward, when she struggles to reclaim her memory and her mobility. In real life, McFadden is a physician trained to treat brain injuries. Her expertise gives Charlotte’s rehabilitation authenticity, and her writing talent makes it interesting and engaging. As good as that timeline is, readers will yearn to get back to the alternate timeline about who wants Charlotte dead. It’s only a matter of time before Charlotte starts to remember who tried to kill her, and the clock is ticking toward their next attempt. McFadden dishes up plenty of suspects: Charlotte’s secretive husband, Clark; a former patient turned stalker who confronts Charlotte on her honeymoon; and the angry husband of a patient who blames Charlotte for his wife leaving him. Though the story is delicious and dark, McFadden brightens things up with a possible love interest for Charlotte and a surprise ending sure to please the author’s many fans.
Starts with a bang and closes with a knockout punch of an ending.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9781464249617
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Poisoned Pen
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
