cover image Ghost Sniper: A Sniper Elite Novel

Ghost Sniper: A Sniper Elite Novel

Scott McEwen, with Thomas Koloniar. S&S/Touchstone, $25 (384p) ISBN 978-1-5011-2614-7

Some of the recurring characters in McEwen and Koloniar’s thrilling fourth Sniper Elite novel (after 2015’s The Sniper and the Wolf) appear to have lost their moral compass and are difficult to root for, but the rousing plot and bloodstained action are strictly on-target. Former Green Beret Chance Vaught, now a special agent with the U.S. Diplomatic Security Service, is in charge of protecting a motorcade through Mexico City that includes Alice Downly, the director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. When the motorcade gets caught in an ambush and a sniper kills Downly, Vaught’s in trouble. But his CIA handler gives him a chance to redeem himself by allowing him to pursue the sniper, who presumably was acting on the behalf of the drug cartels. Meanwhile, Navy SEAL Gil Shannon has disappeared and is presumed dead, so Vaught and Dan Crosswhite, a former Delta Force operator, must lead the fight against the cartels. The authors keep the suspense high right through to the surprise ending. Agent: Ian Kleinert, Objective Entertainment. (July)