Samurai Game

Feehan’s 10th GhostWalker novel (after Ruthless Game) is a suspenseful psychic romance burdened by an opening section that lacks plausibility. Azami Yoshiie and Ghostwalker Sam Johnson meet and fall in love during a lengthy attack on the GhostWalker compound. Their lust-filled introduction while in mortal danger doesn’t wash, even though both were psychically enhanced by an evil genius. Dr. Whitney used his brilliance to help create a secret military force. On the side he experimented with little girls, many of whom, like Azami, he tortured and then threw away. Now Azami is a successful software expert and Mission Impossible–level assassin, and she vows to thwart Whitney’s nefarious manipulations, which currently involve sacrificing Sam to an assault on a corrupt Congolese general. Sam doubts Azami’s loyalties, but she soon proves her worth to the team. Strongly intertwined thriller and romantic elements tip the balance in favor of the romance, which quickly turns poignant, but that initial credibility issue looms large. Agent: Steven Axelrod, the Axelrod Agency. (July)