Navy SEAL Izzy Zanella and wife Eden Gillman are estranged and barely civil, but they agree to reconcile so that they can obtain custody of Eden's little brother. Two-time RITA Award winner Brockmann has nearly six million books in print, lots of New York Times best sellers, and two more books under contract with Ballantine. Can't miss; consider multiples.

With a vicious, alcoholic stepfather and a self-centered drug-addicted mother, the Gillman siblings know all about abuse and neglect. When gay, diabetic teen Ben begs his older sister, Eden, for protection from their stepfather, she takes him in and sends word to their Afghanistan-based Navy SEAL brother, Dan. Help ends up coming from the last person Eden would have expected—her estranged husband, Izzy. Child and sexual abuse, prostitution, human trafficking, gay bashing, and a host of other evils stand in sharp contrast to the awe-inspiring lengths to which family and friends go to keep one another safe, making this page-turner as heartwarming as it is heart stopping. VERDICT Brilliantly blending multiple story lines into one gritty, seamless whole, Brockmann (Infamous) keeps the pace quick, the action violent and hard-hitting, and the romance emotionally intense. A superb, nail-biting addition to the enduring "Troubleshooters" series. Brockmann divides her time among Boston, New York City, and Siesta Key, FL. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 11/1/10; library marketing.]

In the powerful 16th Troubleshooter title, Brockman (Infamous) masterfully weaves the stories of the four Gillman siblings into a single narrative that reaffirms the importance of family. Ben, the youngest, asks Danny and Eden to come to Las Vegas and rescue him from their stepfather. Ben befriends Neesha, a teen running away from years of imprisonment in a brothel, as Eden struggles to prove she's not as messed up as Danny thinks she is. Eden is also dodging her estranged husband, Izzy, who served in the Navy with Danny; he and Danny's fabulous girlfriend, Jennilyn, are rare voices of sanity as the Gillmans try to forget the past and learn to get along while saving Ben and Neesha from their pursuers. The slowly rekindled attraction between Izzy and Eden is steamy, and Jennilyn is a rock for Danny, giving romance fans two delightful relationships for the price of one. (Apr.)