cover image The Mentor

The Mentor

Steve Jackson, . . HarperCollins UK, $9.95 (484pp) ISBN 978-0-00-721211-8

The first novel in Jackson’s Paul Aston thriller series draws readers into its seamless plot with a horrific London Underground explosion. MI6 agent Aston is one of the first persons on the scene following a suicide bombing in Leicester Square. With the media blaming MI6, Aston faces tremendous pressure from his mercurial supervisor, Robert “Mac” Macintosh, but when Mac disappears, Aston is assigned the task of searching his supervisor’s dwellings, where he makes a disturbing discovery that heightens the suspense. Aston and his partner, Georgina “George” Strauss, find themselves in a race against time to derail the terrorists and find Mac. Jackson’s thoroughly developed characters set this spy thriller well above others of its kind, and readers will be eager to follow Aston through the simultaneously released The Judas and future sequels. (Apr.)