cover image The Rendition

The Rendition

Albert Ashforth. Oceanview (Midpoint, dist.), $25.95 (352p) ISBN 978-1-60809-059-4

A former military contractor who did tours in Kosovo, Germany, and Afghanistan, Ashforth (Murder After the Fact) brings valuable insider detail to this exciting spy thriller. In 2007, veteran intelligence officer Alex Klear embarks on a mission in Kosovo to seize Ramush Nadaj of the Kosovo Liberation Army and spirit him out of the country. The operation doesn't go as planned. Alex endures two days of torture at the hands of Nadaj and his KLA people before his partner, Buck Romero, rescues him. While recovering at a military hospital in Germany, Alex decides to retire from covert work. Then attractive Col. Sylvia Frost offers him a chance to get back at the folks who almost killed him and complete Nadaj's rendition. An old girlfriend from Alex's early days in Germany lends romantic interest as he seeks to unravel a tangled skein of lies and international politics. Fans of classic spy fiction will look forward to seeing more of the indomitable Alex. (Oct.)