Behind the Mask

Retired FBI undercover agent Ridenour, whose career included infiltrating the militant Animal Liberation Front, provides an inside look at that kind of operation in her page-turning debut. In May 2010, the bureau dispatches special agent Lexie Montgomery, who’s just received her undercover certification, to Los Angeles, where her mission is to gain the confidence of members of the ALF by posing as a sympathizer. A prologue set a year later, in which Savannah Riley, a woman in FBI custody charged with conspiracy to violate the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, makes it obvious that Lexie succeeds in her assignment, but the sacrifice of some suspense is more than justified by Ridenour’s emphasis on the human aspects of undercover work. Lexie’s developing relationship with Savannah gains depth because the reader knows Savannah’s eventual fate. Lexie’s own struggles with maintaining her professionalism while sympathizing with the goals, rather than the means, of the animal rights terrorists helps make her a three-dimensional lead. With any luck, Lexie will be back in a sequel. [em](BookLife) [/em]