Former Marine Coughlin and bestseller Davis combine a well-paced, credible plot with a realistic portrayal of modern combat in their third Sniper novel (after Dead Shot).ÅWhen two TOW missiles hit a Scottish castle where the Saudis and Israelis are concluding a historic peace treaty, the attack signals a coup against the ruling House of Saud by Wahabi fanatics outraged by the inroads Western liberal ideas are making in the oil-rich kingdom.ÅGunnery Sgt. Kyle Swanson and his team assume the task of shoring up the Saudi military while also tracking down those behind the carnage in Scotland.ÅThis brings Swanson into conflict with the head of the Saudi religious police, a brutally misogynisticÅthug who's a cat's-paw for an old enemy, Juba, a former British sniper turned terrorist. While some of the enemy come off as caricatures, the authors deftly handle the rivalry between Swanson and Juba. The climax may be a bit of overkill, but it will leave readers cheering. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

A historic peace accord lies in ruins after a missile attack almost kills the Israeli foreign minister and an ambassador from Saudi Arabia. Gunnery Sergeant Kyle Swanson must uncover the person responsible quickly because as soon as the news breaks that the targets are still alive, they won't have too long to recover them. Swanson's best friend is one of the wounded, so Swanson also has personal reasons to stop the attacks. As the clock ticks, Saudi Arabia appears to be collapsing under a major coup financed by a madman responsible for the missile attack and another with a personal vendetta against Swanson. The pages fly by as Swanson must face his most personal mission yet. The military tactics take a backseat to the characters, creating a strong and compelling narrative. Coughlin and Davis have concocted another winner that should only encourage a growing readership.--Ayers, Jeff Copyright 2010 Booklist