24: Trial by Fire

Set in 1994, bestseller Ward's serviceable contribution to the 24 franchise takes Jack Bauer, the hero of the Emmy Award%E2%80%93winning TV program, to the Japanese island of Okinawa, where Jack, "an agent on the fast track for climbing the CIA hierarchy ladder," has assumed a Russian accent and infiltrated a paramilitary group in the guise of Stefan Voronov, a former Russian soldier and crackerjack sniper. Will Jack, armed with his trusty Glock, an MP5 submachine gun, and a screwdriver, foil a kidnapping, bring down two international arms dealers, and save the world from a nuclear disaster? Readers know the answer to that one already. One of Jack's colleagues hints at sequels: "It's a big world, Jack, with lots of bad guys in it. We've still got a lot of work to do." Those unfamiliar with the series should be prepared for heavy slabs of exposition and some plodding backstory. (Aug.)