THE INNOCENT

Whatever you do, don’t touch this heroine.

Vanessa Michael Munroe (The Informationist, 2011) reacts badly when men paw her, even if it’s only in her nightmares. She either attacks whoever’s by her side or goes out looking for a bad guy to kill, which she does with speed, dispassion and these itty-bitty knives she likes to keep handy. Her lethal skills are sought by many—in this case her old friend Logan, who asks her to reclaim the daughter who was kidnapped eight years ago by a member of The Chosen, the cult he used to belong to. With Logan, Gideon and Heidi—two other former cult members who have their own agendas for seeking out The Chosen—and her protective backup Miles Bradford, Munroe sets off for Buenos Aires, where the cult has established several compounds. Able to plant bugs, tail persons of interest, speak 22 languages, make up cover stories and allay her anxieties about being touched with murderous forays, Munroe gains access to The Chosen’s enclaves. At length she zeroes in on the one where Logan’s daughter has been hidden—and sexually abused by the cult leader. Gideon, Heidi and Logan almost derail Munroe’s efforts, but the assignment ends with parent and child reunited and Munroe’s nightmare demons placated, at least for now.

A disappointing second effort from Stevens, who interrupts Munroe’s gore fests for diatribes you’ve heard before about the sexism and debauchery of cults. Imagine.