Close Pursuit

In Dees’s first full-length romantic suspense novel, kindergarten teacher and translator Katie McCloud volunteers for Doctors Unlimited’s obstetrical mission to remote and dangerous (and fictional) Zaghastan. She must depend on Dr. Alex Peters, a man with a mysterious past, to protect her from religious zealots who don’t want pregnant women to get medical care. Alex is himself being stalked by someone—hard to know whom, since he’s annoyed the American Mafia, the Russian mob, the CIA, and the FSB (Russia’s national security service). Katie’s brother and Alex’s father are spies for America and Russia, respectively, and many other people are not whom they seem. Alex, a convicted murderer, wants redemption and a new life. Katie wants adventure—and she finds it! They both want to rely on each other, but aren’t sure they can. Distrust and lust interweave as the unlikely lovers run for their lives. Dees (The Medusa Project), a former military pilot and spy, flavors this tightly plotted thriller with military authenticity that’s somewhat undermined by stereotypes of Russia and the Middle East. (Mar.)