Sentinel

Greaney is best known for his “Gray Man” thrillers, 13 in all. Some are excellent. All are exciting. Sentinel is the second book (following Armored) in a parallel series featuring U.S. State Department bodyguard Josh Duffy. Josh and his wife Nicole are in Ghana supporting an American diplomatic team working to help build a much-needed dam. Ghana has a stable democracy, so Josh and Nicole feel safe bringing their two young children with them. It’s almost a vacation. Then China decides the dam must go, and everything heads south. A Chinese insurrection expert arrives in the country, and China arms and trains a native rebel army. Foreign mercenaries and jihadists—separate forces—also arrive. The plot is complicated, but the objective is simple: overthrow the current government and place Ghana firmly under the thumb of China. Soon, Josh and his family are on the run, chased by a Chinese hit squad and the rebels. Greaney is always strong with action scenes and the technology of warfare, less so in creating characters who are more than cardboard cutouts.