The Defiant Hero

February 26, 2001
Against the backdrop of terrorism on U.S. soil, Brockmann (The Unsung Hero) weaves three complex romantic relationships--one fondly recalled, one unexpectedly resumed and one bursting at the seams to get started--into a tight tale that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the author's next installment. When terrorists kidnap her grandmother, Eve, and her 10-year-old daughter, Amy, widowed translator Meg takes an Eastern European official hostage to trade for her lost family members. Readers will forgive the plot's implausibility as Meg hurls herself headlong into her risky rescue attempt in spite of interference by former flame and Navy SEAL Lt. John Nilsson. While heating tension and passion to the boiling point, Brockmann firmly squashes the clich of military men with hearts of stone and imbues her SEALs with honest emotional courage. In an equally refreshing move, she then stands the romance formula on its head, making the SEALs chase the intelligent, self-confident women who've done just fine so far without them. A smart, thrilling keeper among so many disposable stories, this is one to recommend heartily to friends.

Starred review from August 1, 2016

Brockmann's Troubleshooters are just that: a close-knit group of ex-Navy SEALs who form their own makeshift counterterrorist team to tackle the problems that the U.S. government can't or won't handle--because those troubles are much too close to home. As the series continued, the stories branched out to include veterans from other services and took on more domestic problems such as gangs and drugs but always with the same pulse-pounding adventure and romantic heat. Although "Troubleshooters" seems to have concluded with Free Fall, Brockmann has returned to more military-grade action in her spin-off "Reluctant Heroes," starting with Do or Die (LJ 2/15/14).

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