Captain Moxley and the Embers of the Empire

Hanks packs his pulpy, energetic debut with gritty violence, snazzy super-science, and high-flying adventure. Though the year is 1952, sometimes it feels as if WWII never ended for former Royal Air Force pilot Samantha “Sam” Moxley. She can’t relax as long as the evil government agency known only as the Nine are still out there, bent on capturing high-powered mythological artifacts and using them to take over the world. Sam’s former lover, Agent Jack Taylor, recently betrayed her to work for the Nine. Now Sam must race Taylor and “his sneering sidekick” Smith to recover a pair of magical relics rumored to open a legendary repository of knowledge and technology. Hanks’s plot-driven tale careens from New York City to the Paris catacombs, Egypt, Atlantis, and beyond. Twists aplenty, dastardly villains, and bombastic fight scenes combine to make this perfect popcorn entertainment. Fans of old-fashioned pulp adventure are sure to enjoy. Agent: Sara Megibow, KT Literary. (Sept.)