The title gives a bit of the plot away, but the latest Pike Logan thriller is still a solid suspenser. Task-force operative Logan and his partner, Jennifer Cahill, are thrust into an escalating conflict between China and Taiwan. But there are other forces at work and even greater threats: Taiwan is under the protection of the U.S., suggesting that a third party may be manipulating the Americans and Chinese to go head-to-head in a global shootout. As usual, it falls to Logan to bring order to the chaos. The Logan novels (this is the fifteenth in the series) sometimes balance on the line between realism and fantasy--could one man, working virtually alone, really accomplish all the things Pike has?--but Taylor, a retired Special Forces lieutenant colonel, has a good grasp of the geopolitical backdrop of his stories, and this knowledge gives his books a solid layer of plausibility. The high-energy writing also helps sell the story and characters. This is a series that has earned its popularity, and American Traitor should generate a lot of interest among Taylor's many fans.

While enjoying a vacation in Australia, Pike Logan and Jennifer Cahill learn that friend and former Taskforce member Clifford Delmonty witnessed something not for his eyes and is being pursued by Chinese agents. The agents are part of a larger scheme to foment war between Taiwan and China, though what's really happening is more mysterious. With a 200,000-copy first printing.

Bestseller Taylor's taut 15th Pike Logan novel (after 2020's Hunter Killer) takes Pike, the head of the Taskforce counterterrorism unit, and his Taskforce member girlfriend, Jennifer Cahill, to Australia for some vacation. They intend to stay with former Taskforce colleague Dunkin Delmonty, but on arrival they find Dunkin on the run from Chinese assassins. Dunkin recently exposed the schemes of his coworker, a Chinese-American artificial-intelligence specialist, who sabotaged the software of the new F-35 fighter jet and stole the code for the early-warning system protecting Taiwan from Chinese invasion. The attack on Dunkin prompts Pike to call in his Taskforce unit and team with a former Taiwan intelligence agent to stop a war between the beleaguered island nation and the despotic Chinese government. A memorable cast, powerful action scenes, and authentic tradecraft compensate for blandly generic settings, with neither Australia nor Taiwan brought much to life. Series fans will appreciate the continuing evolution of the characters and the customary attention to tactical detail. Taylor reinforces his place as a major player in the military action genre. Agent: John Talbot, Talbot Fortune. (Jan.)