Patriot

A secret mission in Cuba goes awry in the prologue of bestseller Bell’s fast-paced ninth Alexander Hawke thriller (after 2014’s Warriors), but the MI6 agent (and sixth richest man in England) and his pal Stokely Jones, a former Navy SEAL, manage to fight their way to safety. Soon Hawke is back in his Bermuda home, Teakettle Cottage, enjoying his favorite libation, Gosling’s rum. Meanwhile, Brett “Beau” Beauregard, a retired U.S. Army colonel who runs a private security company, orders his minions to target agents he believes have wronged him in the past. One of Beauregard’s men goes after Hawke in Bermuda, and the ensuing battle nearly destroys Teakettle Cottage. Vladimir Putin, who saved Hawke’s life in an earlier book, plays a role that ricochets back and forth between friend and foe. The villain who runs down the CIA director’s pet dog gets her just reward. Better than any writer in the thriller genre, Bell mashes up old-fashioned boys’ adventure with modern military action. Agent: Peter Lampack, Peter Lampack Agency. (Sept.)