SIGNALS FROM SAIPAN

In this third installment of a thriller series, the intrepid men and women of an international group become targets of the head of a notorious Mexican gang as well as Iraqi terrorists.

After inventing passive tracking and listening devices, Dr. Reginald Nelson is ready to take a more active assault on terrorism around the world on behalf of the International Citizens for a Safe Society Organization, or I.N.C.I.S.O.R. He has determined that a proper radio wave frequency can excite butane and set off C4 as if a detonator had been used, meaning that piles of explosives sitting in developing countries can be set off remotely. “That will set the terrorist trade back several decades!” declares Reggie’s partner, Ash Black. It also sets off Iraqi terrorist Achmed, who, after the civilians he has been using as human shields rebel, turns to the Russians to help him exact revenge. On a parallel front, a branch of I.N.C.I.S.O.R. steps in when Melania Cruz, who heads the most famous Mexican gang in Denver, is freed enroute to “the highest security prison in the country.” When most of her gang is wiped out by members of the branch, she declares: “I want them dead!” Meanwhile, in Italy, the organization steps in to rescue Marta Fascina (jarringly, an actual person), the domestic partner of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who is among the top 200 richest people in the world. There is a whole lot to unpack in this latest installment of Nelson’s series. The location jumps—Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands; Denver; Dubai; Washington, D.C.; Frankfurt, Germany; Langley; Moscow; and Syria, among others—suggest a frantic pace. But many stops are unnecessary digressions that only bring the proceedings to a halt, as when, early on in Saipan, Reggie and Ash agree to spend the rest of their day going for a jog on the beach and then dining on sushi. Soon after, Reggie repeatedly teases vital information as to his and Ash’s real mission in Saipan, but he frustratingly keeps putting off relaying it (“Let’s eat and then we can talk”). Still, the author does keep readers off balance by being willing to kill off leading characters, lending a real sense of danger to the proceedings.

Strains credulity but offers pure escapism to fans of “U.S. of A. ass kicking.”