The Ninja’s Oath: A Lily Wong Thriller

Chinese Norwegian ninja Lily Wong embarks on a thorny rescue mission in her action-packed fourth adventure (following 2021’s The Ninja Betrayed). Wong’s honorary uncle, Lee Chang, the former chief enforcer of the Shanghai Scorpion Black Society, has asked for the budding ninja’s help. His 12-year-old grandniece, Chyou, has disappeared, and Wong, whom Chang recently helped in a bloody battle against Hong Kong’s triads, defers her return to Los Angeles to head to Shanghai and aid in the search. Wong—who tries her best to keep her considerable combat skills a secret from family and friends—has experience in rescue and protection from her time working with a refugee organization. Her efforts to find Chyou are complicated by tensions between Chang and Chyou’s grandfather, Qiang, who is convinced the girl has been abducted by his estranged brother’s “criminal friends.” Meanwhile, Wong fears the child may have been targeted by sex traffickers. The stakes are raised even higher when another of Chang’s family members vanishes before Chyou can be found. Eldridge excels at orchestrating thrilling martial arts fights, and at brisk plotting that mostly dodges predictability. Everything here suggests this series can sustain a long run. Agent: Nicole Rescinti, Seymour Agency. (Sept.)