Smith tackles modern-day pirates in this adventure novel set in Africa.

Hector Cross has a problem. As the head of Cross Bow Security, he is tasked with protecting the assets of Bannock Oil in Abu Zara. When Somalian pirates kidnap heiress Cayla Bannock, her mother, Hazel, insists on accompanying Hector on the rescue mission. Complicating matters is Adam Tippoo Tip, sheikh of Puntland, a ragtag fiefdom of pirates, who has sworn vengeance against Hector for killing both his father and grandfather. Although Hector and Hazel start off loathing one another, their animosity inevitably gives way to passion. There's quite a bit of sex in the book, and it's typically gratuitous or grisly, including a horrifying gang-rape scene. Smith's action sequences are first-rate, but he's not a reflective writer and the story is marked by flat prose and wooden dialogue. (Cayla, for instance, doesn't come remotely close to sounding like a young American girl from Houston.) Vengeance plays a major role here; it's the chief motivating force for both sides. Curiously, those who have been wronged by the pirate king's schemes embrace their tormenter's notion of what constitutes just punishment: a life for a life. The characters mete out revenge with ruthless savagery, engage in torture and carry out executions, making them no better than the enemy. Hector and Hazel ultimately win the day, but at a price so steep only a cynic would call it a victory.

An uneven, ripped-from-the-headlines swashbuckler whose heroes dodge their enemies' bullets and the implications of their own actions, with mixed results.

Now residing in London, Smith was born in what was then Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) and writes two best-selling historical series set in Central Africa and one set in Ancient Egypt. Now he jumps to the 21st century as African Muslim pirates highjack the yacht of oil heir Hazel Bannock. She's not on board, but her teenage daughter is, and Hazel hires wily security man Hector Cross to rescue her child. The publisher wants you to think Clive Cussler.

When Cayla, the spoiled and promiscuous daughter of oil tycoon Hazel Bannock, is kidnapped from her yacht by Islamic fundamentalist pirates off the African coast, Hazel is frustrated by the reluctance of the world's powers to intervene. As her daughter's torture becomes public, Hazel turns to Hector Cross, owner of a private security firm that also protects Hazel's oil fields, to rescue the girl and destroy the pirates. VERDICT Smith's (Assegai; Warlock) many fans will enjoy a tale that includes nonstop action, multiple treacheries, vengeance, extreme violence, and explicit sex. The novel, however, is marred by an implausible plot and sometimes ridiculous dialog. The issue of modern piracy is a tale that needs to be told, and someone like a Tom Clancy or a Frederick Forsyth could have done a much better job. [Library marketing.]—Robert Conroy, Warren, MI

Hot sex, ultra violence, rich beautiful women, brave handsome men—Smith (The Quest) delivers it all in this over-the-top thriller set largely on the high seas. Hector Cross, security chief for Hazel Bannock, owner and CEO of Bannock Oil, battles Somali pirates led by Adam Tipoo Tip and his grandfather, Sheik Mohammed Khan Tipoo Tip, who have kidnapped Cayla Bannock, Hazel's adored 19-year-old daughter. The Tipoo Tips also plan to capture Hazel and ransom her for several billion dollars as well as torture and murder Cross, with whom they have a longstanding blood feud. Cross isn't going to allow the bad guys to carry out their depredations on the Bannock women, especially after he and Hazel become lovers. The author's vast legions of fans should embrace the lurid action, the larger-than-life characters, and the heated prose with their usual enthusiasm. (May)