ROBERT LUDLUM'S THE TREADSTONE TRANSGRESSION

4 stars out of 5

If you love nonstop action, blood-and-guts topped by more blood-and-guts and superhuman heroes who can mow down 24 men with AK-47s and machetes with 24 more lurking right around the building he just blew up with a grenade, trust me, you won't be disappointed with this book. Quite honestly, it was a little too much for me (make that way too much), but the fact remains that there's a well-written story in here for those with the stomach for finding it. And in the interests of full disclosure, I'm pretty sure I'd have had an easier time keeping all the characters straight had this not been my first book in the Treadstone series (this is the third).

Actually, I developed a fondness of sorts for that hero, Treadstone agent Adam Hayes, who at this stage of his much-battered life wants to plan his son's upcoming birthday party far more than how he'll survive his latest mission. His superiors, of course, visualize a different scenario; just one more mission, claims his boss, Treadstone director Levi Shaw - who promises that Adam will be back at home in time to watch his kid smack the pinata.

If any readers believe that, I've got a great deal on a bridge in Arizona for you. In reality, Hayes isn't dumb enough to fully believe it either, but his boss's offer isn't really an offer, so off he goes. The mission? To set up a safe house in Haiti for a man who is in possession of an incriminating flash drive and get the heck out. Simple, yes?

Don't be silly. Immediately, the entire plan is blown to shreds - nearly taking Hayes along for the ride. Worse, the fact that he's still alive seems to be a bug in the bonnet of nasty characters who want to change that - and who go all out to make sure it happens. But hats off to Hayes, who not only has to figure out who to trust (and who not to trust) but also how to rise to all the physical and mental challenges he encounters in large part because, well, what kind of dad makes a promise to his son and doesn't keep it?

Since this is a series, I certainly didn't expect Hayes to be bumped off, but I will say it was touch and go for a while. As for the details, you'll just have to read it for yourself. I'll just be content to say thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy.

Robert Ludlum's The Treadstone Transgression by Joshua Hood (G.P. Putnam's Sons, April 2022); 383 pp.