Lethal Game

Despite plenty of drama and vibrant secondary characters, Feehan’s 16th GhostWalker novel (after Toxic Game) disappoints with inelegant prose and a wooden central couple. Malichai is a GhostWalker, a soldier physically and psychically enhanced by mad scientist Dr. Whitney, working with a covert military pararescue squad. When a rescue mission goes wrong and almost costs Malichai one of his legs, the women of his chosen family of fellow GhostWalkers force him to rehabilitate on a beach vacation in San Diego. There he finds himself drawn to Amaryllis, an employee at the B&B where he’s staying who has psychic healing powers that lead Malichai to believe she may also be a victim of Dr. Whitney’s experiments. Malichai realizes that Amaryllis is in danger from the deranged doctor and calls in his GhostWalker brothers to help protect her. Glimmers of the sexy, dangerous fun Feehan’s fans will expect are subsumed in clunky exposition, awkward fight scenes, and overly convenient plotting. Series readers will be glad to revisit familiar faces from the vast GhostWalker universe but won’t find much else to hold their attention. Agent: Steve Axelrod, The Axelrod Agency (Mar.)