Quentin Tarantino meets Die Hard as the lives of two men literally collide in Abbott's (Panic ) latest riveting action thriller. Ben Forsberg sees his wife shot and killed on their honeymoon and cannot overcome his grief two years later; a former CIA agent barely survives an attempt on his life and discovers he has been set up by his superiors. The operation he was working on called for Forsberg to be framed for a murder. Not knowing whom to trust, the former agent known as Pilgrim decides to ally himself with Forsberg and uncover the truth. Millions of bullets are fired, and the action never lets up as they go on a seemingly futile quest. Abbott has always been a terrific writer, but this is his best to date. The twists are shocking, and the characters are all too real. For all popular fiction collections. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 2/1/08.]—Jeff Ayers, Seattle P.L.

A rock-solid if complicated plot distinguishes this stand-alone thriller from Abbott (Panic ). In Austin, Tex., a hired assassin fumbles an assignment, leaving several men dead. In the pocket of one of the victims, a Belfast hit man, is the business card of Ben Forsberg, who's been trying to put his life together since his wife was gunned down on their honeymoon two years earlier. After Homeland Security agents pick up the clueless Ben because they think he's the killer, Pilgrim, an agent with yet another secret government agency, the Cellar, rescues Ben from the Homeland Security folk. The appealing Pilgrim and Ben set out to clear Ben's name and rescue Pilgrim's boss, Teach, who's been taken prisoner by the mastermind behind the elaborate plot. Abbott keeps the action zipping along as the body count mounts, and Ben becomes far wiser and far tougher as he learns the harsh realities of kill or be killed. (July )