One Rough Man

Taylor's debut, a derivative and overly complicated thriller, introduces Pike Logan, the titular rough man, who's one of a band of secret government warriors known as the Taskforce, the operational arm of Project Prometheus, whose presidentially mandated mission is to hunt down terrorists and eliminate them by any means necessary. A personal disaster sidelines Pike, but he gets reluctantly dragged back into the fray after rescuing Jennifer Cahill, a student at the College of Charleston (S.C.), from two mysterious hit men. Meanwhile, in Guatemala, Jennifer's professor uncle has discovered an ancient Mayan weapon of mass destruction, which two Arab terrorists steal and plan to use to start a war in the Mideast. Taylor needs to dial back the body count and concentrate on a more original setup and cast of characters if he ever expects to compete with the other Brad (Thor) on the international thriller playing field. 5-city author tour. (Feb.)