Publisher's Weekly Review
Stephens's smoothly written third Jordan Sandor thriller pits Sandor against the Venezuelan terrorist known as Adina, who got away in 2011's Targets of Opportunity. Against CIA orders, loose cannon Sandor flies a glider into the jungles of Venezuela, where Adina is hiding out, intent on assassinating the man. Once on the ground, Sandor finds that Adina is operating a lab making cocaine and anthrax. Given this discovery, Sandor decides to drop his personal vendetta and persuade his superiors to set up an operation to thwart whatever evil Adina may be plotting. In his travels, which range from Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, to New York City, Sandor unearths a swarm of villains, including drug dealers and government traitors. Meanwhile, Adina's deadly plan becomes clearer and increasingly frightening. Stephens gives us a hero who is easy to root for, a fellow who doesn't fret about morality or worry about much of anything beyond killing the bad guys. Agent: Bob Diforio, D4EO Literary. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
CIA agent Jordan Sandor, who has been in all the world's trouble spots and has the scars to show for it, has a personal stake in eliminating the Venezuelan terrorist mastermind known as Adina. A close friend of Sandor's was killed during an operation to uncover Adina's latest deadly plot. Now, Sandor will stop at nothing short of returning the favor. The third in a series, this book opens with Sandor flying into the Venezuelan jungle in a one-man glider, in violation of explicit orders not to take matters into his own hands. He makes quick work of Adina's security force, gains access to the terrorist's compound and erases a few more thugs. But after discovering Adina is manufacturing anthrax, he can't proceed with his plans to kill him until he determines what the terrorist is planning to do with the deadly powder. The trail leads to Egypt, Russia and New York, among other places. Sandor's life is at risk, as are the lives of the colleagues and foreign friends he entices to help out on the mission. At greater risk is New York, where Adina plans on unleashing a devastating attack culminating in the distribution of the anthrax. An attorney, Stephens lays out his story in orderly fashion, with one action scene neatly following another. The pace of the book is Bourne-like. But Sandor is one-dimensional. If he's haunted by anything in his past, he keeps it to himself. Ultimately, the suspense is clinical. The tale maintains our interest without stirring our imaginations. As skillfully rendered as the book is, readers will not necessarily look forward to the next installment in the series.]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
CIA agent Jordan Sandor decides to take drastic action in Stephens' third book in an ongoing series. After suffering the loss of a close friend at the hands of criminal mastermind Adina, Sandor disobeys orders and goes to the Venezuelan jungle to track Adina and kill him. Lies, a massive drug operation, and various traps thwart Sandor at every turn. Adina escapes, and now Sandor must contend with his furious superiors and a madman who knows he's being hunted. Adina has a bold plan to take out his enemy and doesn't care about collateral damage. The novel reads like the early work of Robert Ludlum, especially during the intense action sequences. The personal relationships, though, are a bit hard to swallow. It's hard to believe that a woman Sandor meets in a bar would fall into his arms, and they will be madly in love in less than an hour. Still, those who enjoy plots revolving around covert CIA action will stick with this one to the end.--Ayers, Jeff Copyright 2010 Booklist
