Grave Danger: A Jack Swyteck Novel

Grippando stretches plausibility to the breaking point in the goofy 19th adventure for Miami attorney Jack Swyteck (after Goodbye Girl). Swyteck’s marriage to FBI agent Andie Henning is on the rocks, but at their therapist’s suggestion, the couple agrees to abandon a self-imposed rule not to discuss work. They wind up at odds, however, when Avi Zarid, an Iranian woman who disappeared after she was arrested for protesting the country’s hijab mandate two years earlier, resurfaces with her daughter in Florida and hires Swyteck to represent her in a custody battle with her husband, Farid. Farid claims—along with the Iranian government—that Avi kidnapped their daughter. Soon, “Avi” reveals to Swyteck that she’s actually the woman’s sister, Zahra, and alleges that Iranian officials killed Avi and are backing Farid’s lawsuit to conceal the crime. Andie gets involved when her boss at the FBI asks her to steer Swyteck away from the case. The fizzy Mr. and Mrs. Smith–style antics are plenty enjoyable, and Grippando knows how to keep the stakes high, but even the most casual reader will raise an eyebrow at the contrived plot twists and laughable foreign policy details. It’s pure popcorn. Agent: Richard Pine, InkWell Management. (Jan.)