Targets of Revenge

Stephens’s smoothly written third Jordan Sandor thriller pits Sandor against the Venezuelan terrorist known as Adina, who got away in 2011’s Targets of Opportunity. Against CIA orders, loose cannon Sandor flies a glider into the jungles of Venezuela, where Adina is hiding out, intent on assassinating the man. Once on the ground, Sandor finds that Adina is operating a lab making cocaine and anthrax. Given this discovery, Sandor decides to drop his personal vendetta and persuade his superiors to set up an operation to thwart whatever evil Adina may be plotting. In his travels, which range from Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt, to New York City, Sandor unearths a swarm of villains, including drug dealers and government traitors. Meanwhile, Adina’s deadly plan becomes clearer and increasingly frightening. Stephens gives us a hero who is easy to root for, a fellow who doesn’t fret about morality or worry about much of anything beyond killing the bad guys. Agent: Bob Diforio, D4EO Literary. (Feb.)