In this follow-up to First Daughter, the Cold War has never really thawed. ATF agent Jack McClure, having rescued President Edward Carson's daughter, is now the president's strategic adviser. While McClure is with Carson in Moscow, U.S. Senator Berns is killed in a hit-and-run accident. Berns was a crucial ally in Carson's strategy to get legislation passed in the Democratic-controlled Congress. Is the death an accident or was it a deliberate act by Carson's enemies? Carson sends McClure to investigate. Working the case with McClure is Annika, a rogue Russian counterintelligence agent, and Alli, Carson's daughter. Their investigation delves into a nefarious political intrigue that reaches beyond the death of one man. Verdict Lustbader carefully weaves a suspenseful political tale that keeps readers guessing what truth will be revealed when the last snow melts away. With an exciting pace reminiscent of the best works by Tom Clancy and David Baldacci, this is sure to appeal to political thriller enthusiasts who love conspiracy narratives with surprises down every dark, twisted alley.-Susan O. Moritz, Montgomery Cty. P.L., MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Lustbader's second in the Jack McClure series is a definite step up from its predecessor (First Daughter, 2008). After saving the daughter of the president of the U.S., McClure now has a role as a special advisor to the president. When he's asked by his new boss to investigate the mysterious death of a U.S. senator on a diplomatic mission to Ukraine, McClure can't say no. His comrades on the investigation include a rogue Russian agent and the president's daughter. Meanwhile, stateside, both McClure's home life and new job are in danger of falling apart. In the previous book, McClure never emerged as more than a stock action hero, but this time he shows signs of multidimensionality. The story line seems oddly out of sequence in a couple of places, but the main plot will hold readers' attention. Lustbader's last several books have found the formerly best-selling author spinning his wheels, but this time he shows some renewed spark.--Ayers, Jeff Copyright 2010 Booklist

Bestseller Lustbader's wordy sequel to First Daughter takes dyslexic Jack McClure, former ATF agent and now adviser to recently elected U.S. president Edward Carson, to Moscow, where Carson is negotiating an important treaty with Russian president Yukin. When minority whip Sen. Lloyd Berns dies in a mysterious hit-and-run accident on Capri, the president asks Jack to investigate. Accompanied by Annika, a beautiful Federal Security Bureau agent who's part of a complicated Russian trap, and Alli, Carson's 22-year-old daughter whom Jack saved from a bad guy in the previous book, Jack travels to Ukraine, where Berns was supposed to be on a fact-finding tour. In Kiev, Jack finds a secret agency called Trinadtsat, a shadowy group of Russian oligarchs, and plenty of trouble, including a retired American general out to have him killed. Lustbader fritters away many pages with Jack's navel-gazing, time that could have been better spent in gunfights and derring-do. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved