The Hunters

In Young’s thinly plotted sixth novel featuring the U.S. Air Force’s Col. Michael Parson (after 2014’s Sand and Fire), Parson serves as a civilian pilot with World Relief Airlift, at the urging of his love interest, U.N. aid worker Sophie Gold. Parson, who flies a 75-year-old DC-3, a twin-engine cargo plane with frightening limitations, sees plenty of action, especially when he’s out of the aircraft, running for his life and trying to save his comrades. His chief foe is a 14-year-old Somali terrorist, Hussein, who is willing and eager to do anything his al Shabaab leaders tell him to do, no matter how dangerous or heinous. Young uses every opportunity to gin up the suspense, but the outcome of the struggle between Parson and Hussein is never in serious doubt. This is a strong series, and readers will hope that Parson and Gold tackle a more exciting and complicated mission in their next outing. Agent: Michael Carlisle, Inkwell Management. (July)