Vendetta

In bestseller Johansen’s pulse-pounding 23rd Eve Duncan novel (after Shattered Mirror), former Army Ranger Jude Brandon honors the dying wish of CIA operative Carl Venable, who’s been mortally wounded while on a mission in Montana, to protect his daughter, Rachel Venable, from Max Huber, the leader of the Red Star terrorist organization. Huber believes that Rachel, who runs a medical clinic in the jungles of Guyana, is responsible for the death of his father, the powerhouse behind Red Star, and wants revenge. Jude and his team manage to extract Rachel, whom Huber has plagued in the past, from her jungle clinic before Huber can capture her. Jude delivers Rachel to a safe house in San Francisco, where she soon starts working with an informant who claims to have information about a plan Huber has to destroy the city. The mutual attraction between Jude and Rachel generates plenty of romantic heat. Highly complex characters and a stunning conclusion make this a winner. Series fans won’t mind that Eve receives only passing mention. Agent: Andrea Cirillo, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Oct.)