Off the Grid: The Lost Platoon, Book 2

McCarty follows Going Dark with a somewhat heavy-handed mix of military romance and international intrigue. Ten weeks ago, an elite and secret U.S. Navy group, SEAL Team Nine, was nearly destroyed in Russia. The survivors are hiding in Norway and trying to determine who set up their team to die. When investigative reporter Brittany Blake starts to write about “the Lost Platoon,” she puts everyone, including herself, at risk. However, Brittany can’t leave the story alone, because her brother, Team Nine member Brandon Blake, is missing and presumed dead. She feels compelled to follow the leads being fed to her by secret sources based in Washington, D.C. When John Donovan, Brandon’s best friend, realizes Brittany won’t let go of the story, he vows to protect her—and leaps at the chance to act on the attraction he felt for her when they first met years before. McCarty once again includes fun romantic adventure as John and Brittany go on the run, but a secondary story line featuring a CIA contact and her ex-husband drags the plot into military conspiracy territory, making it more tangled and less dynamic. Still, fans will be invested enough to await the tying up of loose ends in future installments. Agent: Annelise Robey, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (July)