cover image Lost Girls

Lost Girls

Robert Doherty, . . Forge, $24.95 (303pp) ISBN 978-0-7653-1127-6

An alias of prolific bestseller Bob Meyer—whose second novel with Jennifer Crusie, Agnes and the Hitman , is due in August (Reviews, June 4)—Doherty is a bestseller in his own right with his Area 51 books, among others. This terrific follow-up to Bodyguard of Lies continues to track the Cellar, a government organization whose task is to police rogue agents in the CIA, FBI and other U.S. bureaus. Maj. Jack Gant is called in from his South Carolina island home to oversee an investigation involving the abduction of Emily Cranston, daughter of Fort Bragg Special Warfare Center commander Col. Samuel Cranston. The motive for the abduction is revenge, and the perpetrators have been highly trained in how to carry it out—by the U.S. government. As related crimes pile up, Doherty delivers top-notch action and adventure, creating a full cast of lethal operatives armed with all the latest weaponry. Excellent writing and well-drawn, appealing characters help make this another taut, crackling read from Doherty. (Aug.)