The Invisible » (Reprint)

Born in England, Andrew Britton moved with his family to the United States when he was seven, settling in Michigan, then North Carolina. After serving in the Army as a combat engineer, Andrew entered the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and received his degree just before his death in 2008, at the age of 27.

For more than a decade, Ryan Kealey has been a key player in the war on terror. First, as a captain in the U.S. Army’s third Special Forces Group, then as a contract operative with the CIA. His actions have saved thousands of lives, including that of the U.S. President. Now once again, Kealey receives the call of duty - only this time, the odds for success are slim to none…

Tensions between Pakistan and India are at an all-time high. To complicate matters, twelve American climbers have disappeared in the snow-capped peaks of Pakistan’s Hindu Kush range. The President is demanding answers, but neither government is supplying them.

As the conflict escalates, Brynn Fitzgerald departs Washington D.C. on her first official trip as acting secretary of state. Her goal is to serve as an intermediary between the leaders of both nations as well as to ensure all efforts are being made in the search for the missing American climbers. But when Fitzgerald’s motorcade is ambushed on the outskirts of Islamabad, her back-up team arrives to discover a disastrous scene: dozens are dead, including seven diplomatic security agents, and the secretary of state has vanished without a trace.

In the wake of the unprecedented attack, Kealey’s operation goes into high gear. Once again, he is joined by Naomi Kharmai, the British-born analyst who has taken on a daring new role with the Agency. But Kharmai is becoming as unpredictable as the man they’re going after, and as they work their way toward the target, it becomes clear to Kealey that anyone is fair game - and no one can be trusted.

Publishers Weekly

J. Charles use his extensive theatrical experience to inject some life into the audio version of Britton's third adventure of rogue CIA agent Ryan Kealey. While there are some tight action scenes, the setup is so predictable and cut from such worn fabric that nobody could do much with it. Still, Charles adds a bit of zest to Kealey, a degree of believability to some key female characters and to the "invisible" of the title, a terrorist called Amari Saifi, who has abducted several Americans in Pakistan. Despite Charles's best efforts, listeners will probably feel they've heard it all before. Sadly, the 27-year-old Britton died (of an undiagnosed heart condition) just weeks after the release of this novel. Simultaneous release with the Kensington hardcover (Reviews, Jan. 7). (Mar.)

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