Siege Line

Cole (the Shadow Ops series) mixes contemporary action thriller and urban fantasy in this exciting novel about an out-of-control government program that uses magic to reanimate dead soldiers. Deceased former SEAL Jim Schweitzer escapes from the program, planning to save his son and to shut down the program for good. Their battle takes them through gruesome deaths and to a remote Canadian village, battling soldiers and zombielike creatures all the way. The pace never lets up as the characters face battle after battle, and, though the ending is a bit predictable, the excitement of the ride is still worth the reader’s time. Zombie-haters might find this particular type—created one by one rather than infectious—more palatable, and the magic element should be limited enough for thriller fans to overlook; it’s guns and guts that will save the day. Agent: Joshua Bilmes, JABberwocky Literary. (Oct.)