Field of Fire

Jonathan Davis gives a sense of realism to his narration, and that's necessary because the characters in this thriller are finely drawn. ATF Agent "Rocket" Duarte pairs with a pretty Justice Department lawyer to track down a suspect who bombed a migrant labor camp but failed to kill the intended victim. Duarte is a rising star at BATF and is highly motivated to make the collar and get a promotion. Though this is primarily a blood-and-guts thriller, the story includes a few sensitive issues. Davis handles those moments with a gentle and persuasive touch. His accents are also first-rate. A.L.H. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

November 27, 2006
Born's fourth thriller introduces a new hero, but an implausible premise, stock characters and some clichéd prose may disappoint fans of his earlier novels (Escape Clause
, etc.), which featured Florida lawman Bill Tasker. ATF agent Alex Duarte, who has seen military duty in Bosnia, is on assignment in South Florida. After a wanted fugitive, Alberto Salez, whom Duarte has arrested, gives him the slip, Duarte becomes involved in a high-level investigation into a series of bombings that Deputy Attorney General Roberto Morales, an Alberto Gonzalez–like figure, suspects are the work of radical labor unions. Meanwhile, a shadowy hit man is pursuing Salez in an effort to silence him. The author, himself a special agent with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, puts little of his own real-life expertise into the plot. Despite advance praise from Michael Connelly, Tess Gerritsen and W.E.B. Griffin, this effort falls short of the standard set by top-rank suspense writers.