The Last Run-Greg Rucka

The Last Run
Greg Rucka
Bantam, Oct 26 2010, $26.00
ISBN: 9780553804751

Thirtyish, she had been doing field work for years. British agent Tara Chace knows her job has a short time frame as evident by the death of her lover Tom Wallace in Saudi Arabia; yet, she felt she would go on forever as a Minder. Then came the fall from a rung at re-training school; a type of climb she had done twenty-nine times before without incident; she realizes her almost decade was up as her aching bones insist it is time for a desk and teaching role.

Although Tara is ready to come in from the cold, her superiors have one last errand for her. An enigmatic cryptic note has surfaced from Tehran in which the eldest nephew of the Supreme leader Ayatollah Khomeini, Hossein, may be defecting. It also may be a brilliant ruse for the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security to lure enemies into Iran to exploit them like they paraded the American Embassy workers. Tara and her extraction team sneak into Tehran knowing a double cross is likely, but though she feels her age, she refuses to be hunted when she remains a deadly predator.

The latest Queen and Country espionage thriller (see Gentlemen’s Game and Private War) is a super entry due to Tara’s waning confidence. She knows her time in the field is over, but dedication, loyalty and honor has her make The Last Run. Ironically, readers sort of know somewhat the danger that awaits Tara and her team in Tehran although keep in mind Greg “the magician” Rucka is the author so even a dead rabbit might be pulled out of the hat. Fast-paced from the opening training mishap until the final confrontation, fans will relish this Tara Chace kick butt spy thriller.

Harriet Klausner