A master criminal who has pulled off a successful string of bank robberies, Gunther's looking for a really big score and an early retirement. He warms up for the big event by terrorizing the citizens of New York with a series of bombings. NYPD captain Jake Malloy, an ex-Navy SEAL who's on temporary assignment to the Joint Task Force on Terrorism, has enough on his plate already: the head of the Cali drug cartel wants him dead and has already sent two hit men to make it happen. But that's just a secondary plot line in this fast-paced thriller; the main action follows Gunther and his well-planned scheme to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel unless he gets $10 million. Meanwhile, Jake's girlfriend, Jo Velez, a DEA agent who's undercover with a Colombian drug smuggler, is trapped in the tunnel, unaware that her cover's been blown and her time is running out, too.

Wager spins a strong and suspenseful tale that's got Hollywood written all over it--no big surprise from a writer whose novels have already been turned into big action flicks (Die Hard 2, based on 58 Minutes; Twilight's Last Gleaming, adapted from Viper Three). Like his characters Gunther and Malloy, Walter Wager's a real pro, and his latest will keep readers on edge until the last page is turned. --Jane Adams