Fallen (Deep Ops #2)

Zanetti follows Hidden with another high-octane mix of action, romance, suspense, and the perfect amount of levity. Brigid is a government-sanctioned computer hacker with a penchant for bad boys. She’s part of an offshoot division of Homeland Defense in Washington, D.C., that’s staffed with misfits who have something to prove. When she and her handler, Raider Tanaka, are forced to go undercover and pose as a couple to stop a computer crime ring with ties to the mob (and clear her father’s name in the bargain), they quickly discover their attraction is real. Raider is a federal agent with no time for entanglements; he’s all about his job and getting revenge on the men who killed his partner. He tries to force himself to see Brigid as just a means to an end, no matter how much she intrigues and challenges him. The blend of memorable personalities found on the Deep Ops team, combined with a slowly teased-out bigger story arc, makes for a deliciously inviting and immersive story. Agent: Caitlin Blasdell, Liza Dawson Associates. (Oct.)