Coonts' latest novel to feature Jake Grafton concerns a financial conspiracy with ties to Russia. Grafton's friend, CIA officer Tommy Carmellini, learns of a small bank in Estonia that handles so much money on a daily basis that it must be serving as a front for money laundering. That money corrupts more than just the employees of the bank, beginning with the Russians who funnel the funds and extending to members of the U.S. government. Carmellini and his allies have an uphill battle to uncover the truth, and it appears to be a fight they can't win, at least not without the help of Grafton, now the head of the CIA. The story moves along at a brisk pace, with plenty of intrigue, which will please thriller fans. From time to time, however, Coonts tends to push his conservative political agenda at the expense of the narrative, and that may alienate some readers. Still, his large audience will be excited about the return of Grafton and Carmellini.--Jeff Ayers Copyright 2019 Booklist

Bestseller Coonts uneasily mixes classic thriller action and partisan axe-grinding in his ninth thriller featuring CIA director Jake Grafton and Jake's stalwart aide, Tommy Carmellini (after 2017's Armageddon File). When Jake learns that a tiny bank in Estonia has been laundering money, possibly hundreds of billions of dollars, he sends Tommy to investigate. Tommy gets on the trail of Russian multibillionaire Yegan Korjev, a Putin crony, whom Jake approves for rendition to a safe house in Utah for interrogation. The money-laundering operation they uncover ensnares politicians, philanthropists, investors, and criminals in a complex plan to destabilize Western society with "imaginary money." Coonts is on sure ground when handling assassination attempts, shoot-outs, plane attacks, and investigative field work, and Tommy's world-weary persona shines, but the long rants against community organizer Saul Alinsky and the evils of liberalism will have less conservative readers skimming the pages for a return to the action. Longtime Coonts fans who share his political leanings will best appreciate this outing. Agent: Deborah C. Grosvenor, Grosvenor Literary. (Aug.)