Rules of Deception
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Reich's new novel starts with a literal cliff-hanger and doesn't let up until the shocking ending. Doctor Jonathan Ransom and his wife, Emma, are mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps when tragedy strikes, and Emma falls into a crevasse. Devastated, Ransom discovers an envelope back at their hotel containing two baggage claim tickets at a nearby train station. When he goes to retrieve the luggage, he is attacked. Barely escaping with his life, Ransom becomes determined to learn why the items in the suitcases are so important and uncover the truth behind his ever-increasing doubts about the woman he married. In the process, he becomes the target of both a ruthless assassin and a determined cop, who believes Ransom uses his medical practice as a cover to murder innocent civilians. Intense and surprising, with strong characters galloping about in exotic locales, this pulse-pounding thriller will find a home in plenty of beach bags come summer.--Ayers, Jeff Copyright 2008 Booklist

The un-put-downable sixth spy novel from bestseller Reich (The Patriots' Club, which won an International Thrillers Award in 2006) shows he's the equal of such masters of suspense as Ken Follett and Frederick Forsyth. The twisting story line revolves around Jonathan Ransom, a 37-year-old surgeon for Doctors Without Borders, whose wife is killed while mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps. As Ransom struggles to come to grips with this tragedy, he receives two mysterious baggage claim tickets addressed in her name. Ransom tracks the luggage to a remote train station, where two Swiss police officers attack him shortly after he picks up the baggage. Once safely away, he examines the contents only to realize that his wife was an undercover agent involved in "the blackest of black ops"--a plot that includes unmanned airborne vehicles, secret uranium enrichment facilities in Iran and the destruction of Israel. This first-class adrenaline fest will leave readers guessing until the last page. Author tour. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Reich's everyman hero, Jonathan Ransom, is plunged into a world of intrigue when his wife dies in an accident. Growing questions about her true identity dig him deeper into trouble. Ransom is unaware that he is interrupting the endgame of an enormous and long-running conspiracy that he--and the Swiss cop tracking him--could derail. Reich (Patriot's Club) throws readers off the scent but never loses control of the plot. He skillfully handles the pacing, and this results in a suspenseful story balanced by cinematic action scenes. Highly recommended--fans of early Ludlum will particularly enjoy it. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/1/08.] (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

International intrigue in the 21st century, according to Reich's latest thriller, looks an awful lot like international intrigue in the 20th. After an Alpine skiing accident takes the life of beautiful nurse Emma, her widow, Dr. Jonathan Ransom, a surgeon who works for Doctors Without Borders, opens an envelope addressed to her to find a pair of claim checks. When he and Emma's friend Simone Noiret travel to Landquart to reclaim the checked items--two suitcases--they attract the attention of a pair of Swiss police officers who grab the bags and then, when Jonathan resists, try to kill him. Acting just like any of Reich's other intrepid amateur spies (The Patriots Club, 2005, etc.), he kills one of them, leaves the other seriously wounded and takes to the road. What to make of the mysterious items he finds inside the suitcases when he finally has a minute to look? Jonathan knows only that he's seeing a side of Emma he never suspected. But a series of obligingly interspersed chapters has already alerted savvy readers to a high-stakes plot. It's clear early on that it involves a superstitious assassin called the Ghost, a zealous anti-terrorist called the Pilot and the struggle for knowledge about lightweight, unpiloted drone aircraft and control of Iran's nuclear stockpile. What's not clear till much later--some readers will never be certain--is who's on first, given that the law-enforcement personnel of two different countries seem intent mainly on dispatching their compatriots in rival law-enforcement divisions. For better or worse, they all more or less succeed. Proof positive that whatever state-of-the-art labels you paste on fictional spies, their main appeal remains nostalgic. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Reich's new novel starts with a literal cliff-hanger and doesn't let up until the shocking ending. Doctor Jonathan Ransom and his wife, Emma, are mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps when tragedy strikes, and Emma falls into a crevasse. Devastated, Ransom discovers an envelope back at their hotel containing two baggage claim tickets at a nearby train station. When he goes to retrieve the luggage, he is attacked. Barely escaping with his life, Ransom becomes determined to learn why the items in the suitcases are so important and uncover the truth behind his ever-increasing doubts about the woman he married. In the process, he becomes the target of both a ruthless assassin and a determined cop, who believes Ransom uses his medical practice as a cover to murder innocent civilians. Intense and surprising, with strong characters galloping about in exotic locales, this pulse-pounding thriller will find a home in plenty of beach bags come summer. Copyright 2008 Booklist Reviews.

After his wife's accidental death, Dr. Jonathan Ransom follows up on two mysterious baggage-claim tickets that were mailed to her-and finds himself on the run, a nasty assassin at his heels. With a national tour. Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

Reich's everyman hero, Jonathan Ransom, is plunged into a world of intrigue when his wife dies in an accident. Growing questions about her true identity dig him deeper into trouble. Ransom is unaware that he is interrupting the endgame of an enormous and long-running conspiracy that he—and the Swiss cop tracking him—could derail. Reich (Patriot's Club ) throws readers off the scent but never loses control of the plot. He skillfully handles the pacing, and this results in a suspenseful story balanced by cinematic action scenes. Highly recommended—fans of early Ludlum will particularly enjoy it. [See Prepub Alert, LJ 3/1/08.]

The un-put-downable sixth spy novel from bestseller Reich (The Patriots' Club , which won an International Thrillers Award in 2006) shows he's the equal of such masters of suspense as Ken Follett and Frederick Forsyth. The twisting story line revolves around Jonathan Ransom, a 37-year-old surgeon for Doctors Without Borders, whose wife is killed while mountain climbing in the Swiss Alps. As Ransom struggles to come to grips with this tragedy, he receives two mysterious baggage claim tickets addressed in her name. Ransom tracks the luggage to a remote train station, where two Swiss police officers attack him shortly after he picks up the baggage. Once safely away, he examines the contents only to realize that his wife was an undercover agent involved in "the blackest of black ops"—a plot that includes unmanned airborne vehicles, secret uranium enrichment facilities in Iran and the destruction of Israel. This first-class adrenaline fest will leave readers guessing until the last page. Author tour. (July)