Army Criminal Investigation Agents Scott Brodie and Maggie Taylor have been back from Venezuela for five months since they cleared up a case chronicled in THE DESERTER. While successful, their mission didn’t end well, and they didn’t think they would ever work together again.

Apparently, Brodie had ventured beyond their mandate and into territory that uncovered secrets the government didn’t want known. There was no question that they did a remarkable job. Yet, instead of being rewarded, they were separated and assigned mundane cases, the equivalent of being sent to Siberia.

At this point, Brodie is cross-eyed bored and pretty sure that Taylor must be as well. So when he gets a call from Colonel Dombroski about looking into the murder of one of their agents in Berlin, he jumps at the chance. Discovering that Taylor will be his partner leaves him battling mixed feelings, but he’ll worry about those feelings when he gets to Berlin. At least he knows his partner will be highly competent.

"Brodie and Taylor are the modern warriors the world needs. They have seen combat, understand battle and appreciate the value of life.... I love these two. And the DeMilles. BLOOD LINES is an instant hit."

In their first briefing, Brodie and Taylor sit down with the German police, the FBI, the CIA and other alphabet agencies, where they learn the commonly accepted theory that the victim, Harry Vance, got himself killed while chasing a terrorist cell, or something along those lines.

If you know anything about Scott Brodie, you know that he never takes any commonly accepted theory at face value. He always starts from scratch and follows where the facts lead rather than try to fit the facts to the working theory. That may sound like Brodie isn’t a team player. He’s not. He’s well known for going rogue, which means the authorities in Berlin are trying to keep him on a short leash the moment his plane touches down. Well, that never works well with Brodie.

As for Taylor, she attempts to be the voice of reason when partnered with Brodie. In reality, though, she understands that the man gets things done, even if his methods are unconventional and probably illegal. Usually it ends up with the two of them dodging bullets. When push comes to shove, Taylor has Brodie’s back.

When another incident occurs in the same area of Berlin, the German authorities, along with the Americans, take it as proof that their theory has been right all along and declare the case solved. There may be some loose ends to clear up, but Brodie and Taylor can go back home. That all sounds great except that Brodie doesn’t believe a word of it. His BS radar is telling him that something far different is going on --- something far more dangerous, lethal and impending. And if he can’t get anyone to listen to him, he’ll have to take care of it himself.

The trouble is, while Taylor is at the airport, waiting for him to join her on the flight back to the US, Brodie is officially unofficial in Germany and totally without resources. Or a gun. It will take a miracle for him to stop what he believes is in the works. And a bigger miracle to do it in time. Because right now he doesn’t know what exactly the plan is.

Nelson DeMille and his son, Alex DeMille, write a story with a message that their readers can thoroughly enjoy without feeling like they are being fed a message. They always deliver highly entertaining prose that has a seriously sobering thought behind it. Brodie and Taylor are the modern warriors the world needs. They have seen combat, understand battle and appreciate the value of life. Because of that, they are willing to do what it takes to save humankind from evil. I love these two. And the DeMilles. BLOOD LINES is an instant hit.