Bravo

May 12, 2014
Former Special Forces Master Sgt. Jad Bell must try to thwart a threatened terrorist attack on the U.S. in bestseller Rucka’s explosive follow-up to Alpha (2012). The capture of Vosil Tohir (aka the Uzbek), who was the main organizer of the terrorist assault on the California theme park in the previous book, offers Bell some hope. Chief Warrant Officer Petra Nessuno—known to the Uzbek as Elisabetta Villanova, a sexy art dealer with a flair for languages—teams with Bell to crack Tohir and learn more about the terrorists’ plans. Trouble is, the Uzbek isn’t the highest rung of the ladder; he’s merely one bad guy on a list of increasingly shady characters that eventually leads to the man in charge, a mysterious, nationless presence known only as the Architect. Rucka never shies away from violence, but his bloody mayhem serves to underscore an impressively complex plot. Agent: David Hale, DHS Literary.

The saga of ex-Special Forces soldier Jad Bell and his special-ops team continues where the first book, ALPHA, left off. In that book the team foiled the most devastating assault ever attempted on U.S. soil; now they hunt the man who planned the attack. John Glouchevitch's portrayal captures Bell's tension and resolve as he searches for a brilliant spy nicknamed "the Architect." His portrayals of male and female characters are also compelling and authentic--from Miss Sumo, who lures men in a smoky, sultry voice, to the Architect, who has set an even more devastating attack in motion. G.D.W. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine

August 1, 2014
Following the events of Alpha (2012), in which he pretty much single-handedly prevented a terrorist attack at a major amusement park, former Delta Force operative Jad Bell could seriously use a breather. That will have to wait, though, until he completes his current mission: travel across the world and apprehend a man known as the Uzbek, who planned the amusement-park attack (which almost took the lives of Bell's daughter and ex-wife). The mission goes according to plan, with one slight hiccup: Bell's team also finds, along with the Uzbek, a woman who turns out to be a deep-undercover American agent. The question is, which side is the woman on? And can she provide information that will help Bell stop a new attack on American soil? This fast-paced actioner should appeal to fans of the author's Atticus Kodiak and Tara Chace series; it has the same energetic feel to it, the same broad-strokes approach to character design. A solid, satisfying thriller from an always-dependable writer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)