The Ultimatum

This series launch from bestseller Robards (Hush), about a female master thief with highly developed martial arts skills, scores points for energetic storytelling but is marred by an implausible plot, shallow characters, and uninspired dialogue. As a child, Bianca St. Ives, known as the Guardian, learned about martial arts, explosives, and deception instead of playing with toys. Now she has joined her father, Richard St. Ives, “tall and elegant, the ultimate silver fox,” in recovering stolen money and secret government documents. The elite criminal and law enforcement entities know Richard only as the Traveler. When Richard is killed during a botched job, Bianca returns to running her own security company in Savannah, Ga. Email delivered to Richard’s encrypted account later sends Bianca on an international recovery mission and a search to find out if her father really is dead. A far-fetched, game-changing character reveal near the finale is more laughable than stunning. [em]Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media. (June) [/em]