The Black Jack Conspiracy

When the U.S. government's mysterious Department Thirty offers immunity and a new identity to Alex Bridge, a pregnant widow accused of embezzlement and murder, in exchange for information on the illegal dealings of the corporation she's accused of stealing from, Alex swears she's innocent and is the victim of a setup. Faith Kelly, a new case officer, slowly comes to believe Alex. Faith eventually uncovers a conspiracy that stretches back to the 1890s and reaches into the highest levels of the present-day U.S. judicial system. Kent (The Mesa Conspiracy ) grounds his tale in a true historical event and provides some nice twists and turns, but what raises this thriller above the mundane is the villain, Isaac Smith, who uses whatever it takes—blackmail, innuendo, implications in crimes—to tear his targets' lives apart from the inside out. Smith's inventive machinations more than compensate for formulaic characterization and awkward dialogue. (Dec.)