The Kill Switch: A Tucker Wayne Novel (Sigma Force Novels)
A Russian scientist with a weapon that could wreak havoc upon the world; a chilling historical mystery; a breakneck race against time—the usual kinds of ingredients, in other words, for one of Rollins’ Sigma Force novels. But this one’s a bit different: it stars former Army Ranger Tucker Wayne and his working dog, Kane (introduced in Bloodline, 2012), and it spends more time than usual exploring the relationships of its lead characters. Rollins, who was a practicing veterinarian before turning to full-time writing, makes Kane, a Belgian Malinois (they look a lot like German shepherds), a fully participating character in the story, similar to the way Jonathan Maberry makes Ghost a character in the Joe Ledger novels. Coauthor Blackwood is best known for the three Fargo novels he wrote with Clive Cussler, but his solo trilogy featuring covert op Briggs Tanner, published 2001–03, gives him solid grounding for this novel. Fans of the Sigma Force series will definitely enjoy this one, and readers who have occasionally wished Rollins would slow down a bit and spend some time with his characters will get their wish. --David Pitt