Red Chaos

In Grossman and Fuller’s tense third Red Hotel thriller (after 2021’s Red Deception), someone is assassinating attendees at oil conferences at International Kensington hotels. Dan Reilly, the hotel chain’s president, who’s also a part-time spy and an adviser to the U.S. government, takes charge of the situation. With his background in military intelligence and combat experience, Dan is adept at getting himself into and out of serious trouble, but he’s no superhero. Meanwhile, in the Russian Federation, President Nicolai Gorshkov has a plan to destroy the U.S. involving taking advantage of global warming to increase Russia’s sale of oil to the world, especially China. To speed things along, Gorshkov has disabled the Suez Canal, the Panama Canal, and the Strait of Hormuz, thus forcing oil shippers to use the Russian Northern Sea Route, giving Russia much-needed cash to fund its worldwide expansion. The authors do a good job juggling the various plot lines, including one involving a showdown outside the port of Boston between an American warship and two hostile submarines, one Russian, the other Iranian. Readers will look forward to Dan’s further adventures. Agent: Kendall Ferris, Meryl Moss Media. (Nov.)