Dragon Games

In this energetic if, at times, hokey thriller set at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, dastardly Dan Price, a private firm's security coordinator, plots a terrorist attack. Guided by a mysterious dominatrix known as “Mistress,” Dan engineers the murders of Captain Li, the head of a Chinese security team, and Jody Simms, a member of Dan's own team. Alarmed by Jody's shooting death, Taggart “Tag” McCall, a disgraced former Secret Service agent, and his girlfriend, Rose Campbell, who both work under Price, investigate, but a star American gymnast's disappearance soon distracts the pair. Meanwhile, Tag attracts the eagle eye scrutiny of Mei Chen, a field investigator for the Ministry of Internal Security. In the end, Tag, despite the angina he suffers, helps expose more than one surprising villain. Besides creating a likable action hero, Mertz (The Korean Intercept ) credibly depicts contemporary China. (Apr.)