Widow’s Run

Street-tough former CIA operative Annalisa Rubchinsky, the narrator of this competent, fast-paced series launch from Wolff (Exacting Justice), is a chemical weapons expert who goes by the name Diamond. It’s an apt moniker for the attractive, hard-edged heroine, who mourns her husband, Gavriil, a Russian scientist, a year after he was killed in a traffic accident while attending an agriculture summit in Rome. When a witness contacts Diamond, convinced that Gavriil’s death was no accident, it motivates the grieving widow to fake her own death and resurrect her old undercover identity. With the help of some friends—information broker Ian Black, teenage computer guru Andrew Dixon, and special ops hothead Sam Irish—she goes on a dogged quest across Italy and the U.S., investigating all those who interacted with Gavriil during his last days and scrutinizing security camera footage and emails to uncover the truth. Though somewhat marred by faintly drawn secondary characters and a pedestrian plot, high-octane action and a fiery, charismatic protagonist ensure Diamond’s first outing doesn’t run out of steam. (Nov.)