FULL CIRCLE

A retired spy reunites with his team to combat vengeful killers in Howard’s short thriller-series starter.

Middle-aged former CIA case officer Jack Trench, now living in Monterey, California, is shocked when he hears that an old colleague in Atlanta has been gunned down. Footage of the crime is even more startling, as the shooter employs a signature technique of the Communist New People’s Army. In the Philippines in 1990, Trench’s specialized unit, known as the Watchers, had dealings with the NPA—a vicious organization known for its assassinations of government officials. Trench connects the Atlanta shooting with a recent homicide in the Philippines and comes to believe that his old team members are now targets. Indeed, it turns out that someone—who blames Philippine authorities and the CIA for his father’s incarceration—has been training to get bloody revenge against his enemies. It doesn’t take long for Trench to work out who’s after the Watchers, and he convinces his ex-boss Patricia Helliwell to reactivate his team so that they can seek their own brand of retribution. Howard, who used to work for the CIA and is the author of such nonfiction books as The Art of Executing Rōnin Leadership Strategies (2022), delivers a taut, action-oriented story in this thriller, which has a striking and likable cast. The Watchers are an appealingly diverse team with a range of useful skills; Trench is a former U.S. Marine, for example, and nerdy Quigley Street has a doctorate in criminal psychology. Moreover, the story lays out a solid foundation for its later action with a lengthy opening that unfolds in 1990 Manila before hopping to the present day. Howard’s unadorned prose complements this streamlined narrative. Genre fans may find a lack of surprises overall. However, the action scenes, including gunfights (“The shotgun boomed and a 12 gauge round shattered the big screen television in the room”) and fisticuffs, really pop. The story builds to an exciting, albeit rushed, final act and aptly sets the stage for a second installment.

Engaging action and appealing characters propel this rousing novel.