Break Every Rule

A former Army Ranger scrambles to locate his missing wife and daughter in this forgettable standalone from Freeman (the Jonathan Stride series). Tommy Miller has been living under an alias to obscure his complicated past as a soldier and member of the Outsiders, an organization of high-ranking American officials prepared to take over the country should the government collapse. He fears his past may have come back to haunt him when his wife, Teresa, and infant daughter, Rosalita, are abducted from their home in Florida. The case is assigned to Lindy Jax, a Black police detective derided by her colleagues as a diversity hire, who’s determined to prove herself by finding the kidnappers. What neither Tommy nor Lindy know is that Teresa has a secret past of her own, in which she was tangled up in the murder of a British Royal involved in sex trafficking. Freeman consistently prioritizes action over character, resulting in a cardboard redux of Taken-style suspense thrillers. It’s a letdown.” Agent: Deborah Schneider, Gelfman Schneider. (Sept.)