WARRIORS

Bell’s Warriors is the eighth Alex Hawke thriller, and it’s fun in its own fast-moving, quirky way.

Lord Alexander Hawke is a stunningly handsome and rich Brit whose hobby seems to be saving the world. He's admired by the queen and presidents alike. So when U.S. President Tom McCloskey drops dead from a poisoned birthday cake, his funeral is attacked by drones, and a new Chinese regime rattles its sabers, who’re you gonna call? In fact, it’s a while before Hawke is fully woven into the plot, which bounces from the U.S. to Britain to China to North Korea and the oceans in between. His personal life figures into the story, including his sexual escapades, his love for his young son and the perils of giving the nanny the weekend off. Then the American scientist William Lincoln Chase is kidnapped by the North Koreans, since he's the only person in the world with the know-how to create a weapon that will change the global balance of power. The "Norks" know exactly how to force Chase to create that weapon, and they will waste no time bringing civilization (i.e. the U.S. and Britain) to its knees. Clearly, this is a job for Lord Hawke and his handpicked band of warriors. They are jaunty types who, as they land on a darkened beach for a risky exfiltration, manage time for humor. When a team member wonders if the mission will turn into a Chinese version of Little Big Horn, Hawke replies, “I ain’t no Custer, Stokely Jones.” Meanwhile, in England, the “world-famous criminalist” Ambrose Congreve defends Hawke’s son against beastly black birds with a James Bond–ian brolly worthy of MI6’s Q.

Near the end, a villain exclaims, “Then bring me the head of Alexander Hawke!” Really, there’s no need. When we finish enjoying Warriors, just bring us Hawke’s next lively adventure.