The exile

Near the start of Britton's uneven fourth spy thriller to feature ex-CIA agent Ryan Kealey (after The Invisible), Janjaweed militiamen brutally murder Lily Durant, an American nurse working at a refugee camp in Darfur and the niece of the U.S. president, David Brenneman. Gen. Joel Stralen, a close friend of Brenneman's who considers the CIA a rival to his own Defense Intelligence Agency, seizes the chance to sideline political rivals and to justify armed retribution against Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, suspected of ordering the attack on the camp. Meanwhile, CIA deputy director Jonathan Harper asks Kealey to investigate covertly. Kealey's quest for truth spans Africa, but few will be surprised when the operative finds answers closer to home. While Britton realistically portrays intelligence as a group effort, he doesn't make the best use of Kealey's time on stage, devoting a puzzling amount of space establishing his hero's credentials with a South African bodyguarding sequence. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

When the U.S. President's niece, a nurse at a refugee camp in Darfur, is brutally murdered along with numerous native residents, his advisers urge striking at Omar al-Bashir, the despotic ruler of Sudan. Jonathan Harper, assistant head of the CIA, is alone in urging caution and is overruled in his effort to seek the real killer. He turns to Ryan Kealey for unofficial help, and Kealey, who has appeared in Britton's three earlier thrillers (The American, The Assassin, and The Invisible), obliges as only he can. A former army and CIA operative and now an independent contractor with Blackwater Worldwide, he does things very much his own way. The thickening plot involves intrigue over Sudan's role in international oil, various rebel groups opposing al-Bashir, and Interpol, plus an internal plot to overthrow the U.S. government. Verdict Current political situations, no-holds-barred action, terrorist threats, and realistic details of African locales showcase Britton's talent for realistic, fast-paced action and gripping suspense. He died (age 27) just after publication of The Invisible, leaving several manuscripts, including this one, so Kealey may appear again. Highly recommended.-Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When the U.S. President's niece, a nurse at a refugee camp in Darfur, is brutally murdered along with numerous native residents, his advisers urge striking at Omar al-Bashir, the despotic ruler of Sudan. Jonathan Harper, assistant head of the CIA, is alone in urging caution and is overruled in his effort to seek the real killer. He turns to Ryan Kealey for unofficial help, and Kealey, who has appeared in Britton's three earlier thrillers (The American, The Assassin, and The Invisible), obliges as only he can. A former army and CIA operative and now an independent contractor with Blackwater Worldwide, he does things very much his own way. The thickening plot involves intrigue over Sudan's role in international oil, various rebel groups opposing al-Bashir, and Interpol, plus an internal plot to overthrow the U.S. government. Verdict Current political situations, no-holds-barred action, terrorist threats, and realistic details of African locales showcase Britton's talent for realistic, fast-paced action and gripping suspense. He died (age 27) just after publication of The Invisible, leaving several manuscripts, including this one, so Kealey may appear again. Highly recommended.-Roland Person, formerly with Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale Copyright 2010 Reed Business Information.

Near the start of Britton's uneven fourth spy thriller to feature ex-CIA agent Ryan Kealey (after The Invisible), Janjaweed militiamen brutally murder Lily Durant, an American nurse working at a refugee camp in Darfur and the niece of the U.S. president, David Brenneman. Gen. Joel Stralen, a close friend of Brenneman's who considers the CIA a rival to his own Defense Intelligence Agency, seizes the chance to sideline political rivals and to justify armed retribution against Sudanese dictator Omar al-Bashir, suspected of ordering the attack on the camp. Meanwhile, CIA deputy director Jonathan Harper asks Kealey to investigate covertly. Kealey's quest for truth spans Africa, but few will be surprised when the operative finds answers closer to home. While Britton realistically portrays intelligence as a group effort, he doesn't make the best use of Kealey's time on stage, devoting a puzzling amount of space establishing his hero's credentials with a South African bodyguarding sequence. (July)