Driven

In Vintcent’s revved-up debut, bad guys are prepared to use dirty tricks to prevent driver Remy Sabatino, a member of Britain’s Ptarmigan Formula One Team, from becoming the first woman to win the Constructors’ Championship on the Grand Prix circuit. At stake is not only the championship but also a proposed mega-deal between Ptarmigan and Chinese business mogul Dr. Chen of Mandarin Telecom. The first sign of sabotage occurs when a device implanted in Sabatino’s helmet jams her communications at the Monaco Grand Prix. When more serious incidents follow at other Grand Prix venues, Matt Straker, the Ptarmigan team’s security expert, zeroes in on the Massarella team and its boss, Eugene Van Der Vaal, as likely suspects. Straker must figure out how to be proactive in dealing with the saboteurs, but the real stars of Vintcent’s novel are the incredible machines, the people behind them, and the steel-nerved drivers who race them. You don’t have to be a racing fan to relish this exciting thriller. Agent: Maggie Hanbury, Hanbury Agency (U.K.). (Dec.)