Night Drop-Michael W. Sherer

Night Drop

Michael W. Sherer

Cutter Press, Sep 8 2014

ISBN 9780989274821

Two years ago, teenager Cole Sanders committed suicide.  Soon afterward, his grieving parents ended their marriage.  Whereas his mom Molly McHugh mourned her loss, she continued as a high powered lawyer at a big Seattle firm; while his dad Blake no longer could live in daylight so now delivers the Seattle Times at night and volunteers at a Suicide Prevention Center.

After returning home from a business trip in China, Molly calls Blake to admonish him for failing to water her plants as he promised.  However, shortly into the call Molly places Blake on hold to answer the door, but fails to return to the phone; someone abducts Molly.  Her law firm and the FBI believe the kidnappers’ motive is ransom; Blake disagrees believing some other unknown reason exists for the snatch.

At the same time Yousef leads a terrorist cell that forces former SEAL Macready the oceanographer to cooperate with their plot to use his dolphins to help move canisters filled with nuclear material or his captured woman will lose body parts.  Office of Naval Intelligence LTC Reyna Chase searches for Macready who vanished from the grid.  As Blake, Reyna, Macready, the Feds, the terrorists and their hostage converge, cities are at risk.

The third Blake Sanders thriller (see Night Tide and Night Blind) is an exhilarating drama that grips readers from the start even when the chessboard is being set and never slows down until the final confrontation.  Although for the most part the terrorists are Middle East stereotypes and Iron Mike is a legend at Fort Bragg, subgenre fans will root for ADD-eccentric Blake stepping out in daylight to try to save his former wife. 

Harriet Klausner