Children of Paranoia

In Shane's well-written if less than compelling debut, Joe, a 25-year-old soldier, considers himself one of the good guys in a mysterious war that most of the world doesn't even know exists. Joe's entire reason for being is committed to battling the enemy and following the war's strict set of rules: no killing innocent bystanders, no killing anyone under the age of 18. He's been a cold-blooded assassin for years, ruthlessly murdering whomever his handlers tell him to. But when he meets a young woman while on a mission in Montreal and falls in love, he begins to see the bloody conflict%E2%80%94and himself%E2%80%94in a new light, and watches as the boundaries between good and bad blur into nonexistence. While the relentless pacing, frequent plot twists, and intimate narrative structure (in the form of a journal) keep the pages turning, the sheer unbelievability of the story's premise coupled with the complete lack of explanation regarding the conflict's shadowy beginning will leave readers anything but thrilled. (Sept.)