Operator Down: A Pike Logan Thriller

Bestseller Taylor excels at quality action scenes, but getting there can be a chore, as in his complicated 12th Pike Logan thriller (after 2016’s Ring of Fire). What starts as a surveillance job for Pike, pal Knuckles, and sidekick and love interest Jennifer—all members of the extralegal counterterrorism group known as Taskforce—takes a deadly turn after a coup in the African kingdom of Lesotho. Diamonds are involved, as is an arms dealer who’s bartering trigger components for nuclear devices to pay for the coup. Meanwhile, Pike’s Israeli spy friend, Aaron Bergmann, gets captured and needs to be rescued. Aaron’s girlfriend, cold-blooded assassin Shoshana, is always entertaining, as she can be counted on to kill, in the most horrific manner, anyone who gets in her way or threatens her beloved Aaron. Pike has been partially tamed by Jennifer, but he’s still happy to go rogue when needed, much to the dismay of his Taskforce boss—and much to the delight of series fans, who are sure to relish this entry, despite the slow spots. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune. (Jan.)