cover image Black Scorpion: The Tyrant Reborn

Black Scorpion: The Tyrant Reborn

Jon Land, created by Fabrizio Boccardi. Forge, $25.99 (448p) ISBN 978-0-7653-3723-8

Michael Tiranno (aka the Tyrant) saved Las Vegas, Nev., from a terrorist attack in Land’s The Seven Sins: The Tyrant Ascending (2008). In this absorbing sequel, Michael faces a bigger threat—the infamous Black Scorpion crime empire, based in Eastern Europe, an organization that engages in human trafficking across the globe. Vladimir Dracu, Black Scorpion’s unstable leader, takes Scarlett Swan, Michael’s archeologist girlfriend, hostage. Scarlett was pursuing an ancient relic whose discovery could have important implications for the fate of humanity. An outsized hero perfectly suits the over-the-top plot. Michael is at home with high finance, having built the Seven Sins Resort and Casino into the highest-grossing property on the Strip. He’s equally at home in the local sports arena, where he takes on Durado “the Executioner” Segura in a mixed martial arts exhibition bout. Larger-than-life action scenes play out in a variety of locales in this exuberant crime thriller. [em]Agent: Natalia Aponte, Natalia Aponte Literary Agency. (Apr.) [/em]