Kyle Mills The Second Horseman

The Second Horseman

Kyle Mills

St. Martin's, Aug 2006, $24.95

ISBN: 031233575X

The diamond heist that busted Brandon Vale has earned him quite a reputation behind bars as the loot has not been recovered and he did not rat out anyone. What he fails to tell his peers is that he never was part of the caper, but instead rogue former FBI Agent Richard Scanlon set him up. However his comfortable stay behind bars ends when corrupt guard Sergeant Daley forces him outside the prison with bullets flying at Brandon, who prefers to go back in, but has no choice except to flee into the night.

Brandon follows a path like a rat in a maze that ends with Scanlon, who gives him an ultimatum. He can return to prison with no safety factor as Scanlon previously arranged or he can steal $250 million from a Vegas casino. Scanlon knows that the Ukrainian Mafia is offering twelve nuclear warheads to the highest bidder, but when he informed his former superiors they rejected his assertion. The rogue agent plans to buy or take the warheads, but Brandon has other plans for the loot as he does not trust with his life or the nukes the man who orchestrated his prison sentence and escape.

Before recent revelations on domestic eavesdropping, no one would believe Scanlon's ploy; however, now everyone would believe this is plausible. Kyle Mills provides an excellent espionage crime thriller that is fast-paced with no one trusting anyone else as double crosses and crosses to the nth power is the norm. Brandon is a fascinating anti-hero as a crook who is caught up in international events by a great Machiavellian strategist who uses others as pawns in his diabolical operations. THE SECOND HORSEMAN is a thriller at its thrilling best.

Harriet Klausner