cover image A.K.A. Jane

A.K.A. Jane

Maureen Tan. Mysterious Press, $36 (308pp) ISBN 978-0-89296-658-5

This high-charged thriller doesn't let up for a moment as it follows Jane Nichols, an emotionally drained undercover agent for Britain's MI-5, into a less than peaceful semi-retirement. Haunted by the death of her lover, who was betrayed seven years ago by a rogue infiltrator named Jim O'Neil, Jane travels to Savannah, Ga., where she easily slips into one of her many alter egos--that of Max Murdock, bestselling author of a hard-boiled detective series. As she begins to seek background material for her next mystery, Jane is dumbfounded when she reads in the paper that Jim O'Neil, respected local citizen, has been voted Georgia's Businessman of the Year. Vowing to find out more about his ""business,"" Jane allies herself once more with MI-5 and is aided by several canny American agents in her investigation. Romantic flames are ignited when she meets up with ruggedly handsome Alex Callaghan, Savannah's gentlemanly yet highly competent chief of police. Jane is ambivalent. Can she still be a cold-blooded assassin when she's feeling so dewey-eyed and romantic? There are very few surprises here, but there are wonderfully precise characterizations, explosive action and a liaison that is both funny and sizzling. (Oct.)