Armored

Ex-military contractor Josh Duffy, the hero of this enjoyable thriller from bestseller Greaney (the Gray Man series), lost a leg in his last mission and now works as a mall cop in Virginia. Low on self-esteem and struggling to provide for his family, Duffy leaps at the chance to join a private protection squad hired to guard a team of UN representatives venturing deep into Mexico in hopes of bringing peace to warring drug cartels and negotiating the return of 60 shoulder-launched missiles one cartel stole from the Mexican military. Fully aware that his new employer has a checkered reputation, Duffy ignores some early red flags and embarks with 21 other mercenaries into the Sierra Madre, all the while trying to conceal his prosthetic left leg. As the protection unit reaches a treacherous ridge known as the Devil’s Spine, the cartels close in and Duffy discovers that he and his fellow mercs have been deceived from the start about the mission’s true intent. Explosive action sequences follow as Duffy and company seek to retreat to flat land and safety, and Duffy proves to be more than just a hardened military tactician. Readers will hope he’ll be back for an encore. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group. (July)