Force of Nature

June 25, 2007
Ex-cop Ric Alvarado, after receiving word that Florida mobster Gordon Burns may be working with international terrorists, manages to gain access to Burns's inner circle in prolific bestseller Brockmann's enjoyable 11th Troubleshooters thriller (after 2006's Into the Storm
). Alvarado's feat brings him to the attention of Jules Cassidy, a maverick FBI agent and counterterrorism expert derided by fellow agents for being gay. The message of tolerance and the personal issues—Cassidy's relationship with closeted Hollywood leading man Robin Chadwick; Alvarado's crush on his attractive assistant, Annie Dugan; Cassidy's determined struggle for acceptance and recognition—at times interfere with the terrorist plot in the mix of undercover police work and romance, but romantic suspense fans should be well satisfied.

August 1, 2007
Annie Dugan is tired of beingprivate investigator Ric Alvarados office assistant; she wants to be a full partner in the business. So when Ric accepts a seemingly simple casefind Lillian Lavelles deceased daughters missing roommateAnnie insists on being part of things. But the supposedly easy case quickly becomes complicated when the trail leads to Gordon Burns, one of Floridas most powerful crime lords. The FBI believes that Burns might be smugglinga top al-Qaeda operative into the U.S., and agent Jules Cassidy wants to team up with Ric and Annie to get into the Burns business operation. Ric is then determined to keep Annie out of the mission, especially once he realizes that he just might be falling for his new partner. In the latest addition to her utterly addictive Troubleshooters, Inc. series, Brockmann deftly delivers another testosterone-drenched, adrenaline-fueled tale of danger and desire that brilliantly combines superbly crafted, realistically complex characters with white-knuckle plotting.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)

September 24, 2007
Brockman's pair known as the Troubleshooters—former policeman Ric Alvarado and his sexy young assistant Annie Dugan—are brought to laudable life in the audio version of the 11th entry in her popular series. Lawlor and Ewbank (who are also both credited as the directors of this audiobook) catch the voices and attitudes of the Florida private eyes with admirable restraint and make the other male and female characters—who include a gay FBI agent in love with a closeted movie star and a notorious crime boss who happens to be a film buff—impressively distinctive. There's plenty of laughs from the character's witty banter and romance of all possible shapes, sizes and persuasions, which adds an extra layer to the story. Brockman's strong sense of character and her successful mix of romance into an action-packed suspense thriller make this a memorable listen. Simultaneous release with the Ballantine hardcover (Reviews, June 25).

January 28, 2008
Fans of well-written tales filled with ironic reversals will relish this quality collection of 34 stories (including 13 originals), the first of two planned volumes. The entries vary in length, but even the briefer ones, such as the vivid “Desperate Times,†pack a punch. Many feature human beings in subservient roles, such as zoo exhibits for aliens (“The Henry and the Marthaâ€) or game animals for Earth's new masters (“Good Dogâ€). Other high points include “Crickets, Everywhere,†a novel variation on the theme of an insect swarm apocalypse, and the creepy “The Teddy's Touch,†in which a skilled government operative confronts an insidious conspiracy aimed at controlling thoughts and emotions. While Rand's work is steady rather than spectacular, he consistently displays creative imagination as well as a gift for understatement. Even where the twist endings are less than surprising, the deftly drawn characters and evocative descriptions will keep readers entirely satisfied.