Killed In Action: An Equalizer Novel

Robert McCall (aka the Equalizer) once worked for a clandestine intelligence service known as the Company, but he now helps others as a “white knight ready to do battle for those with nowhere else to turn.” In this fast-moving, episodic sequel to 2014’s The Equalizer, which was based on the 1980s TV show of the same name, McCall rescues damsels from sex slavery, teaches a morality lesson to a wealthy New York landlord, retrieves a captured American soldier in Syria, tracks down his missing former spymaster, stops a series of homegrown terrorist attacks, evades a mysterious assassin group, and, finally, exposes the deadly vigilante who is co-opting his secret identity. Sloan, the TV show’s creator, has a cinematic flair with description, but he can get a little cute when he gives characters the names or features of celebrities. The ending trips over itself to gather the entire cast and set up a cliff-hanger hook for next time, but this is a series that proves the old adage that the book is usually better than the screen version. (Jan.)

Correction: A previous version of this review displayed the subtitle instead of the title.