Robert Ludlum’s The Treadstone Transgression

Hood’s solid third contribution to this spin-off series from the late Ludlum’s legendary Jason Bourne franchise (after 2021’s Robert Ludlum’s The Treadstone Exile) opens in Haiti, where gutsy DIA agent Dallys Carver is on a mission to acquire an encrypted flash drive from a disgruntled bank manager proving that the director of the Haitian intelligence service is working with a foreign conglomerate to skirt international sanctions. Things rapidly disintegrate, and Carver and the bank manager have to go to ground. Meanwhile, back on an isolated New Mexico ranch, Adam Hayes, an operative for the secret agency Treadstone, and his wife, Annabelle, are looking forward to their four-year-old son Jack’s upcoming birthday. Then a helicopter arrives with the Treadstone director, who wants Adam to go to Haiti and pick up the flash drive. Adam accepts the assignment, but Annabelle warns him that he can’t miss Jack’s birthday party. Adam’s got 48 hours, and the clock is ticking. This entry depends less on Ludlum’s influence than on Hood’s sure hand with plotting and action. Fans of hard-charging thrillers will get their money’s worth. Agent: Sloan Harris, ICM Partners. (Apr.)