The Throwaway

April 16, 2018
Washington, D.C., lobbyist Mark Strain, the driven hero of this exciting thriller from Moreci (Black Star Renegade), refuses to take no for an answer and will do anything to help his clients achieve their goals, including the use of a little judicious blackmail. He knows he has made a few enemies, but nothing prepares him for the ordeal that lies ahead. He and his pregnant wife are awakened one morning by a band of armed federal agents, who accuse him of being a Russian spy. He’s hauled away without benefit of a trial or an explanation of the charges, and soon finds himself on a plane heading to Moscow in the company of an aging Russian intelligence officer, who explains that Mark can never go home again because the world now knows him as a traitor. Once in Moscow, Mark manages to escape and is soon careening through the Russian countryside, dodging bullets and bad guys, all the while asking himself why this is happening to him. The high-speed cinematic narrative will leave the reader breathless. Agent: Jason Yarn, Yarn Literary.

May 1, 2018
Mark Strain is a Washington, D.C., lobbyist, no better than he has to be. He's not above blackmailing a senator to clinch a sale. He has a pretty wife, a nice apartment in the District, and a baby on the way. A spy? Nonsense. But those government men in the van across from the coffee shop are keeping an eye on pretty young Ania, who is a Russian spy. They notice that Ania and Mark often share a table. And they see them passing a folded newspaper back and forth. Soon men in tactical gear are breaking down the door, and Mark, to his utter despair, is shipped to Moscow to be swapped for an American spy. Author Moreci attempts to mix a conspiracy novel with an actioner, and it works most times, though we wonder how Mark manages to survive car crashes, near-drownings, and ferocious beatings and still turn up for the next chapter. Still, we don't wonder all that much because we're caught up in what is, finally, a fast-moving, entertaining read.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)