The Fifth Doctrine

As part of an effort to eradicate all evidence of a clandestine government program, a ruthless CIA hit squad targets super thief Bianca St. Ives in bestseller Robards’s stellar third Guardian thriller (after 2018’s The Moscow Deception). Meanwhile, Bianca’s current nemesis and one-time love interest, Colin Rogan, tells Bianca that he’ll call off the hit squad if she’ll pose as idealistic NSA contractor Lynette Holbrook, who has stolen sensitive government secrets, and plant these secrets, which have now been replaced with fake information, with the North Korean authorities. Bianca has good reason not to trust Colin, who doesn’t control the CIA hit squad despite his claim that he does, but after they’re nearly killed when their car is remotely hijacked, Bianca agrees to his terms. With Colin as her handler, Bianca embarks on a mission that takes her from Paris to North Korea, where’s she kidnapped and taken to a squalid North Korean prison camp. Bianca must use her distinctive and extensive skill set, and learn to trust Colin, if they’re going to get out of this one alive. Bianca and Colin’s sizzling chemistry makes for a great match up, and the cinematic, relentless action is sprinkled with Robards’s trademark humor. This is Bianca’s most exciting and satisfying adventure yet. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media. (Mar.)