Robert Ludlum (1927–2001) would have been proud of Garrison’s fine thriller that picks up where his The Janson Directive (2002) left off. Paul Janson, once a respected and feared member of the U.S. government’s secret Consular Operations, now runs his own private security outfit, CatsPaw Associates. An oil company headquartered in Houston, Tex., hires Janson to rescue one of their employees, who’s been kidnapped by the Free Foree Movement, insurgents who are attempting to wrest the Isle de Foree, which broke away from Equatorial Guinea, from the hands of Foree’s hated dictator, “President for Life” Iboga. Janson’s girlfriend, Jessica Kinkaid, a world-class sniper and Special forces–type warrior in her own right, lends assistance. That Janson is a complicated character makes him more interesting than most action heroes, while Kinkaid proves a capable sidekick. A number of swift, unexpected plot twists will leave Ludlum fans eager to see more in this franchise from Garrison (Fire and Ice). Agent: Henry Morrison. (Feb.)