Fault Lines

Locke (a pseudonym for David Bunn) enhances his first two Fault Line novels, Trial Run and Flash Point, with this exciting prequel. Security expert Charlie Hazard, who specializes in risk containment, agrees to drive one night from his base in Satellite Beach, Fla., to an undisclosed location with psychologist Gabriella McLaren, even though she won’t tell him why she needs his services. On the road, Charlie demonstrates his fighting skills by saving them from a gang of bikers who attack their vehicle. They arrive safely at the Indian River University campus, where Gabriella and her small team of scientists are experimenting with techniques that allow the mind to operate outside the body. The Combine, an international cabal of the incredibly wealthy and powerful, considers this work a threat. Gabriella, Charlie, and the security team that Charlie hastily assembles wind up at a huge villa near Como, Italy, where they must defend against the assaults of the Combine’s elite forces without using guns. Locke combines intense action, credible science fiction, and larger-than-life characters for an enjoyable ride. (Aug.)