You Can Run

Part of the job of CIA analyst Jill Bailey, the narrator of this tense spy novel from Thriller Award finalist Cleveland (Need to Know), consists of vetting potential double agents. One morning at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., she receives a call telling her that her infant son, Owen, is being held hostage. In exchange for his return, she must green light the agency’s documentation on a potential Syrian double agent code-named Falcon. With the pressure mounting, Jill does as she is told. Once Owen is safely in her arms, she realizes she’s been compromised forever. Impulsively, she resigns her job and persuades her husband to move to Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., where she settles into a reassuring humdrum existence. Four years later, her new life rapidly unravels when she’s approached by a journalist who wants “to talk about Falcon.” Jill is soon putting her safety on the line to protect her family as Cleveland plunges the reader into a terrifying world of shifting alliances, action, and intrigue. Fans of strong, decisive female characters will find much to like. [em]Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company. (Aug.) [/em]