Apocalypse

A conflicted and unconvincing villain mars Crawford’s third thriller featuring private investigators Ethan Warner and his partner, Nicola Lopez (after 2013’s Immortal). Douglas Jarvis of the Defense Intelligence Agency hires the duo to look into a horrific murder in Miami that involves a scientist, Charles Purcell, who has extensive knowledge concerning the nature of time. Meanwhile, Joaquin Abell, owner of the firm International Rescue and Infrastructure Support, is in Puerto Rico organizing rescue efforts after a massive earthquake. Crawford gradually and erratically reveals Abell’s misdeeds, leaving readers as conflicted over his evilness as Abell himself appears to be. His master plan is to cause major natural disasters, after which his company will swoop in and offer aid, making Abell, “the savior of mankind.” An abundance of scientific information does little to increase believability, and even the frequent shoot-’em-up scenes fail to pump up excitement. Agent: Luigi Bonomi, Luigi Bonomi Associates. (Mar.)