Smoke

Rupert Cain walked away from his life as an honorable soldier three years ago when an explosion in a London bar killed most of his company. He abandoned his former life—and his girlfriend—to become the assassin Ajax. In a London of the future where England is bankrupt and the government's agents have no one's interests at heart but their own, Cain kills and doesn't ask questions. But now his former commanding officer, who happens to be father to his ex, has been murdered and Cain must find out why. His journey leads him to a kidnapping of the head of OPEC by the Right to Beauty Brigade (all they want is money for plastic surgery) and an intrepid reporter who's good at getting herself into the thick of things and not so good at getting herself out of them. De Campi and Kordey's future is bitingly humorous, clearly inspired by the work of writers Warren Ellis and Grant Morrison, with Kordey's art supplying a beautiful surface over the sordid details. Irony is thick on the ground, but so are interesting characters and a solid story. Going to hell in a handbasket with Cain is an entertaining ride. (Nov.)

Correction : In the October 3 issue, the author of the novel The Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster (Harcourt) was misidentified. She is Kaye Gibbons.