Strong Darkness: A Caitlin Strong Novel

Fans of Sax Rohmer will appreciate Land’s fast-paced sixth Caitlin Strong novel (after 2013’s Strong Rain Falling), in which the Texas Ranger becomes caught up in a case with roots in the Old West. Key to the mystery is a young Chinese woman, Kai, a victim of the international human trafficking. Kai’s link to a series of brutal murders is eerily similar to a bizarre killing spree Texas Ranger Ray Strong, Caitlin’s great-grandfather, and Judge Roy Bean faced in the 1880s. Suspicion soon falls on Chinese businessman Li Zhen, whose company is building America’s new 5G wireless network, granting him connections that place him beyond conventional justice. Readers should be prepared for Chinese characters who are victims, faceless mooks, or grand villains, as well for Texas-style justice in the form of beatings, defenestrations, drownings, electrocutions, and storms of bullets. Agent: Natalia Aponte, Natalia Aponte Literary Agency. (Oct.)