Indelible characters lead this diverting romantic thriller.
In DePaul’s thriller, a former Marine now in black ops fights to protect a woman from his past who’s captured his heart.
Bob Harris, a United States senator, calls in a favor from the SweetBriar Group, a “mercenary-style agency” posing as an environmental company. He wants SBG to track down his son’s killer in Indianapolis. Jeremy “Cappy” Malone leads the mission’s team and has his own reason for finding the suspected murderer, Michelle Holman, who is seen leaving the crime scene in some mysterious footage. Cappy first saw her six years earlier, in South America. She was a university student whom a cartel had kidnapped and tortured until Cappy, then a Green Beret, rescued her. He doesn’t want to believe she’s guilty, especially once the two reunite and stir up the feelings they harbor for each other. That doesn’t mean they trust each other; how can Michelle be sure Cappy won’t turn her over to the Feds? He is focused on keeping her safe, which isn’t easy when someone seems to be gunning for her. The author focuses on romance in this story; scenes shared between Cappy and Michelle sizzle with sexual tension that they barely suppress (“Every nerve ending north of his toes still vibrated from touching her”). As such, there’s nominal action, and readers get only a few chances to enjoy SBG members (including the proficient sniper Wraith and the knife-wielding Talon) showing off their skills. DePaul does effectively flesh out his personable cast: Michelle suffers PTSD from her cartel ordeal, Cappy is racked with guilt over a past mission he led, and Talon is entangled in a love triangle within SBG. There’s a touch of mystery, as the killer may be the same person targeting the senator—or perhaps even Michelle herself. Despite all of the overindulgent male posturing on display, SBG is a team readers will surely want to revisit in subsequent series installments.
Indelible characters lead this diverting romantic thriller.Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2023
ISBN: 9781959324096
Page Count: 526
Publisher: Northfair Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 28, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.
Stephanie Plum’s 31st adventure shows that Trenton’s preeminent fugitive-apprehension agent still has plenty of tricks up her sleeve, and needs every one of them.
The current caseload for Stephanie and Lula—the ex-prostitute file clerk at her cousin Vincent Plum’s bail bonds company, who serves as her unflappable sidekick—begins with two “failures to appear.” Eugene Fleck is suspected of being Robin Hoodie, who robs from the rich and, yes, distributes the proceeds to the poor. Racketeer Bruno Jug, who’s missed his court date on charges of tax evasion, is also suspected of drugging and raping a 14-year-old. But neither of these fugitives can hold a candle to Zoran Djordjevic, aka Fang, a self-proclaimed vampire wanted in connection with the gruesome fate of his late wife and three other missing women. As usual, Stephanie’s personal life is just as helter-skelter as her professional life as a bounty hunter. She’s managed to get herself engaged both to Det. Joe Morelli, of the Trenton PD, and Ranger, a former Special Forces agent who runs a private security firm; she thinks she may be pregnant; and she’s willing to marry the father, whichever of her fiances that turns out to be. On top of it all, her nothingburger schoolmate Herbert Slovinski suddenly pops up at one of the funerals she ferries her Grandma Mazur to, hitting on her relentlessly and gilding his importunities by cleaning and painting her shabby apartment and laying new carpet. Luckily, Lula’s on hand to offer cupcakes that stave off the worst disasters, and whenever this hodgepodge threatens to slow down, another FTA appears, or fails to appear.
As usual, Evanovich handles the funny stuff better (much better) than the mystery stuff.Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781668003138
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
Plenty of excitement for Clancy fans.
Chinese president Li Jian Jun plans a sneak attack on Taiwan, and it’s up to the Jack Ryan administration to stop him without going to war.
President Li announces a naval exercise, but his real plan is Operation Sea Serpent, the lightning reunification of Taiwan. His minister of defense, Admiral Qin Hâiyû, thinks the idea is crazy because a great number of people would die, but he can’t say so. Li is not a man to be challenged, and he’s already had one of his ministers executed. But Qin wants to stop the war before it begins. Perhaps he can get word to the Americans so they can cut off the mad scheme, and he’s troubled by whether his actions will make him a traitor or a patriot. A Western asset nicknamed the Spider helps facilitate his dangerous disappearance as he attempts to leave China, and authorities in Beijing don’t know if he’s been kidnapped or has defected. Meanwhile, the Ryan administration wants to get him safely extracted from mainland China. President Ryan orders that an American naval vessel will transit through the Strait of Taiwan, which the People’s Republic has blockaded. Will there be a bloody showdown that triggers a major war? So much can go wrong, and there are series regulars like John Clark and Ding Chavez at the tip of the spear. And there’s also Katie Ryan, a lieutenant commander with the Office of Naval Intelligence who’s deployed to Taiwan because she’s “one hell of an intelligence analyst” who “thinks outside the box.” She’s a “rising star” who refuses to trade on her relationship with her father, President Ryan. There’s not much violence, although there’s enough to call it a military thriller. One brave American is fading fast from a round to his chest, but he has time to smile about that “hot” Katie Ryan. (Yes, yes, we all like the Ryans.) The novel’s big question is not which nation wins, but whether they fight. Bravery and clear thinking will have to come from both sides. By the way, Jack Junior isn’t in this one—it’s Katie’s time to shine.
Plenty of excitement for Clancy fans.Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593717974
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2024
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