BLIND RUN

Lewin makes a shaky debut with this suspense novel that combines romance, rogue assassins and children in jeopardy with a dash of futuristic science. It's been three years since ex-CIA covert operative Ethan Decker's five-year-old son was murdered by a mysterious assassin. Decker has abandoned his wife, Sydney, and his job to hole up in a trailer in the New Mexico desert. He takes refuge in booze and self-pity until two children are unexpectedly dumped in his lap by Anna Kelsey, a former member of his elite investigative team. Danny and Callie are preteen siblings on the run from the Keepers, a secretive scientific institution specializing in genetic experimentation. After Kelsey is murdered by Marco Ramirez, the same man Decker believes is responsible for his son's death, he reluctantly goes on the road with the two children forced to solve the mystery behind Anna's murder, investigate the suspicious doings of the Keepers and protect Sydney, who seems to be the assassin's next target. Despite the fast pace, abundant action and ambitious premise, there are few surprises here. The plot turns feel like a composite of television action dramas and suspense novels of yore. The characters are thin, and the dialogue could use some vitamin supplements as well ("Opportunity knocked, I acted"). The implausible feel-good ending, involving 25 children on a boat bound for Canada, adds little to this uneven effort. (Apr.)