The Final Cut

July 29, 2013
Bestseller Coulter (Bombshell) teams with Ellison (Edge of Black) on a thriller that manages to be both intricate and full of jaw-dropping action sequences. Det. Chief Insp. Nicholas Drummond, frequently described as akin to James Bond, travels from London to Manhattan, where a thief known only as the Fox has stolen the Koh-i-Noor diamond, the centerpiece of the Queen Mother’s crown on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Fox’s relationship with the man who hired her to steal the diamond, Saleem Singh Lanighan, and the man who trained her, William Mulvaney, complicate matters. In the course of his investigation, Drummond connects in entertaining fashion with Coulter’s main series heroes, FBI agents Dillon Savich and Lacey Sherlock. A number of well-developed subplots keep this from being a simple one-on-one contest. Ingenious disguises, daring bluffs, and hair-breadth escapes add to the fun of the chase. Agent: Robert Gottlieb, Trident Media Group.

August 15, 2013
The FBI and Scotland Yard combine forces to recover a famous jewel. Inspector Nicholas Drummond has given up his former life as a spy, and his thrill-seeking ex-wife, to join the Metropolitan Police. The murder of his colleague and former lover Elaine York, who'd gone to the Big Apple as one of the minders of the crown jewels being exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, sends Drummond to New York, despite orders to the contrary, to help the FBI track down the killer. When the Koh-i-Noor diamond is stolen from the heavily protected museum, Drummond teams up with attractive FBI special agent Michaela "Mike" Caine, who works with the renowned team of Lacey Sherlock and Dillon Savich (Bombshell, 2013, etc.), to recover it. Heading the private security team for the exhibit is Drummond's uncle Bo, who needs all the help he can get to avert a public relations disaster of the first order. A preliminary survey of the evidence makes it look as if York may have been helping the thief. Digging deep, Drummond and Caine discover beneath a false identity a famous thief known as the Fox. The pair race through several European cities looking for answers. Coulter and Ellison have created a new son of Bond licensed to shine in future thrillers. Genre fans will find the action nonstop.

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Starred review from September 1, 2013

After 17 thrillers in her FBI series (Bombshell; Backfire), Coulter teams with crime fiction writer Ellison (The Cold Room) to launch a new series, featuring Nicholas Drummond, a deputy chief inspector of New Scotland Yard. Though American-born, Drummond is the first Brit with an offer to join the FBI. Two events will influence his decision--the gruesome murder of a friend, Insp. Elaine York, who was in New York to guard an exhibit of crown jewels at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and an audacious heist orchestrated by a master thief known only as the Fox. A huge diamond in the Queen Mum's crown--the Koh-i-Noor (a stone with a long, documented history)--has been stolen from the Met despite top-notch security. Who was behind the crime, and will the stone's curse find yet another victim or fulfill its promise of limitless power? With the aid of others, including married agents Savitch and Sherlock (see Coulter's FBI series), Drummond joins FBI Special Agent Micaela "Mike" Caine to find out. VERDICT Fast-paced and action-packed, with the promise of romance to come, this entertaining thriller merges fact and fiction to superb effect. By the time we get to the gripping denouement in Paris, readers will be rooting not only for Nicholas and Mike but for the Fox as well. Sure to attract all thriller fans. [See Prepub Alert, 3/25/13.]--Ron Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson

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