North of Nowhere

This sprawling standalone from bestseller Brennan (the Lucy Kincaid series), set mainly in Montana’s Rocky Mountains, hits the ground running. Tony Reed, a hired killer for a vicious L.A. crime family run by matriarch Frankie McIntire, kidnaps his boss’s grandchildren—Kristen and Ryan—at the request of their mother, who wants to take them far away from the notorious McIntire clan. Five years later, a killer tracks down 16-year-old Kristen and 10-year-old Ryan, who is hard of hearing, at the remote ranch where they’ve been living and plans to return them to Frankie. When Tony learns they’ve been discovered, he attempts to shuttle the children to safety in a small plane, which crashes in the wilderness, killing him. Left to fend for themselves, Kristen and Ryan enter a blood-pounding game of cat and mouse with the killer and his laundry list of accomplices. Brennan writes vivid, exciting action sequences, but her large cast, each of whom sports a complicated backstory, can be difficult to keep straight. Established fans of the author may enjoy this, but it isn’t Brennan’s best. Agent: Dan Conaway, Writers House. (Aug.)