Runner

Starred review from December 2, 2013
A chance meeting on a California beach between Sam Dryden, a former Delta Ranger on a midnight jog, and Rachel, a 12-year-old fleeing heavily armed men, jump-starts this razor-sharp thriller from Lee (The Breach). Sam, who spent five years doing off-the-books black ops with an elite team, instinctively tries to save this terrified girl, who can’t remember her background, or why these men are trying to kill her. Their escape takes them across the country while Rachel’s slow recovery of her memory points to a sinister secret government project. Trained to read minds, Rachel possesses skills that make her an uncontrollable deadly weapon. Lee’s precise detailing of technology and medical science recalls the best of Tom Clancy and Robin Cook, while his believable hero adds a Jack Reacher vibe. Still grieving over the death of his wife and child, Sam exudes compassion even in the midst of battle. His growing affection for Rachel adds texture to an adrenalin-fueled plot that begs for a sequel. Announced first printing of 100,000. Agent: Janet Reid, FinePrint Literary Management.

November 1, 2013
Lee amps up the tension in this nonstop, action-packed thriller that teams two unlikely protagonists: a former soldier with a special skill set and a 12-year-old girl in desperate need of help. Unable to sleep, Sam Dryden stumbles across Rachel while taking an early morning run in his coastal California neighborhood. Rachel's only 12, but Sam senses there's something special about the girl, and not simply because a group of highly trained, heavily armed men are chasing her. When Sam agrees to help her, he finds there's more to Rachel than he or anyone else would first guess, since she's able to read the thoughts of others. Rachel tells him she's sure there's more to her story, but she can't remember anything else other than that she escaped from someplace where she was being held against her will and that those people are out to kill her. Sam believes her, and after she demonstrates her ability to "hear" his thoughts, decides he will help her, no matter what the personal cost. The two then start on two journeys: a physical one to evade the people who want to kill them and a personal crusade to discover what the mysterious men are trying to hide. In Dryden, Lee has created a hero who is skilled, believable and human at the same time, while Rachel comes across as sympathetic and genuine. The action is nonstop and takes place at breakneck speed with no downtime. Lee's writing is smooth and uncontrived, and with this book, he enters the ranks of the best action-thriller writers, all of whom got that way by eschewing coincidence, instead making both characters and readers work through every roadblock while searching for any advantage that can be had. Readers who pick up Lee's latest should be prepared to miss their favorite television shows, since they won't put this book down long enough to watch them.

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Starred review from November 15, 2013
Ex-soldier Sam Dryden is easing into a midnight run when a young girl darts from the shadows, fleeing a shadowy group of men following close behind. She's desperate but begs Sam to trust that she has a good reason not to go to the police. Instinctively, Sam believes her and helps her escape. Rachel's memory has been clouded by interrogation drugs, so she doesn't know exactly whom her pursuers are, but it's soon evident that their motives are connected to Rachel's powerful ability to read minds. Hunted by an enemy with seemingly infinite resources, including the world's most advanced satellite technology, Dryden strategically employs skills from his past in covert ops, taking Rachel from forest hideout to high-speed chases to track down the tidbits emerging from her memory. But the game changes when Dryden discovers why Rachel is being hunted, and he'll have to weigh his feelings for her against national security. Thriller fans, especially those drawn to conspiracies and espionage, will enjoy the cutting-edge weapons development, the anxiety-ridden showdown between cunning and technology, and the compellingly connected characters.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)

September 15, 2013

Author of the New York Times best seller The Breach, Lee offers the story of former Special Forces operative Sam Dryden, whose off-the-books black ops experience comes in handy when he encounters a frantic 11-year-old being chased by armed men clearly intent on killing her. A big movie deal and intensive, early promotion.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2013

During a middle-of-the-night jog on a California boardwalk, widowed army veteran Sam Dryden literally runs into Rachel, a young girl running from a group of armed men. With her long-term memory erased by drugs, Rachel knows only that she can read the thoughts of others and that government agents are out to kill her. So she and Sam embark on an adrenaline-fueled cat and mouse game. The government team, sure of success, is thwarted by the expertly trained Sam, who once worked at the highest level of special ops and is able to counteract even the newest technologies thrown at him and Rachel. But what Sam doesn't know is that Rachel, whom he has come to love like a daughter, has other abilities that could pose a danger to civilization itself. VERDICT Tension mounts right from the start in this nonstop action-packed narrative and seldom flags, as Lee (The Breach) continually blurs the lines between the good guys and the bad guys, with characters better rounded than usual in this genre. All in all, it's a high-tech thriller that's hard to put down. [See Prepub Alert, 8/19/13; international rights sold in seven countries and film rights optioned by Warner Bros.--Ed.]--Michele Leber, Arlington, VA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2013

During a middle-of-the-night jog on a California boardwalk, widowed army veteran Sam Dryden literally runs into Rachel, a young girl running from a group of armed men. With her long-term memory erased by drugs, Rachel knows only that she can read the thoughts of others and that government agents are out to kill her. So she and Sam embark on an adrenaline-fueled cat and mouse game. The government team, sure of success, is thwarted by the expertly trained Sam, who once worked at the highest level of special ops and is able to counteract even the newest technologies thrown at him and Rachel. But what Sam doesn't know is that Rachel, whom he has come to love like a daughter, has other abilities that could pose a danger to civilization itself. VERDICT Tension mounts right from the start in this nonstop action-packed narrative and seldom flags, as Lee (The Breach) continually blurs the lines between the good guys and the bad guys, with characters better rounded than usual in this genre. All in all, it's a high-tech thriller that's hard to put down. [See Prepub Alert, 8/19/13; international rights sold in seven countries and film rights optioned by Warner Bros.--Ed.]--Michele Leber, Arlington, VA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.