Done in One

Jerkins (The Ninth Step) and debut author Thomas, the wife of a retired police sniper, deliver a high-powered bone-rattler of a novel. As a sniper on the Cameron County, Calif., Sheriff’s Department SWAT team, Jacob Denton stands as an anonymous “man apart,” even in this “brotherhood of the elite few.” After his 17th sanctioned kill, he can no longer ignore the high mental and emotional toll of his job. His wife, Jill, a writing teacher sidelined from her firefighting and EMT work by injury, tries to provide solace. When a shooter starts picking off cops, the strain on Denton increases. The chief suspect is Denton’s mentor and friend, Lee Staley, a sniper who retired after he botched his last job and now lives in derelict Hangtown. Even a contrived plot twist can’t dampen this adrenaline-fueled thriller, which casts Denton and his kind as heroes who still believe the American dream is worth protecting. Agent: Robert Guinsler, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Jan.)