Alpha

This pulse-pounding first in a new thriller series from bestseller Rucka (The Last Run) introduces special operative Jonathan “Jad” Bell. Back in the States and recently divorced after missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, Bell accepts a high-level security job at WilsonVille, a fictional Disney rival in California, where unbeknownst to his WilsonVille bosses, his real job is to monitor potential attacks on the park. Meanwhile, a Russian from Odessa who’s been groomed over several years to be a sleeper agent, lands a summer job at WilsonVille, where he’s known as college student Gabriel Fuller. Fuller and his team first release botulinum toxin into the park’s air, setting off an evacuation. Later, they threaten to detonate a dirty bomb and kill the hostages they’ve taken, including Bell’s deaf 16-year-old daughter, Athena. Bell must weigh his duties as a soldier and a father, while racing against the clock. Rucka mixes suspense and an alarmingly realistic plot with ease. Agent: David Hale, DHS Literary. (May)