Alien Hunter

Bestseller Strieber (Hybrids) uneasily mixes extraterrestrials and crime in this first in a new thriller series, which opens on a strong note with a terrifying and moving scene. Soon after midnight on November 16, 2002, police detective Errol “Flynn” Carroll discovers that his 22-year-old wife, Abby, is missing from their smalltown Texas home. It looks as if she put three changes of clothes into her backpack before leaving voluntarily. The marriage was happy and she hadn’t mentioned any travel plans, and Flynn spends the next decade trying to discover who or what has taken Abby. When the answer arrives, it’s a doozy: an alien killer has been snatching bodies for nefarious purposes. The cat-and-mouse game that follows, which includes the appearance of a mutant Siberian tiger, descends into incoherence as Flynn aimlessly bounces around the country. Many readers will struggle to suspend their disbelief, though fans of Strieber’s Communion and other UFO-themed titles may not. Agent: Russell Galen, Scovil Galen Ghosh Literary Agency. (Aug.)