Jeff Abbott's previous Sam Capra thriller was appropriately titled ADRENALINE. Each novel in the series is the literary equivalent of a doubleshot of espresso that wakes you up first thing in the morning with all the subtlety of a slap in the face. The fifth installment, THE FIRST ORDER, is no exception.

Sam Capra works for the CIA when he is not manning his New York City bar, The Last Minute. The mission for Sam this time around is far more personal than any he has previously undertaken. He is determined to find his estranged brother, Danny. This is not as easy as it sounds. Especially since Sam and his family watched a grainy video that depicted Danny and a close associate being tortured and assassinated by radical extremists six years earlier. The footage was circulated online, and it was evident that Danny, disguised as a humanitarian volunteer, had been found out by his enemies and executed.

"THE FIRST ORDER is a great way for fans of espionage and thriller novels to kick off the new year.... Buckle up and hang on to the end of this electric read!"

Sam has had a difficult time processing the death of his older brother and long-time protector. It also seems that some of the world's intelligence groups are having a hard time believing that Danny is dead. Sam is called out by British agent Bob Seaforth, who has tasked him with finding and stopping a mysterious assassin who is allegedly on a mission to assassinate Russian Premier Morozov. Seaforth believes this assassin to be none other than Danny.

Meanwhile, a frequent ally of Sam's, known to him as Mila Court, is on a similar mission, which also involves finding Danny --- but for different reasons. Mila is operating under the command of a mysterious international syndicate, known only as the Round Table. Their spokesperson, a woman named Charity, has convinced Mila that Danny has entered into some sort of arrangement with Mila's husband, Jimmy, and the Round Table wants Danny captured and brought back to them in London.

Sam and Mila combine efforts, which lands them, incognito, on a huge yacht off the coast of Florida heading towards the Bahamas. The owners of the yacht are some wealthy and powerful Russian citizens who have a direct line to Morozov. Sam and Mila believe that Danny plans to infiltrate this group and see Morozov killed on American soil. Furthermore, the man introduced to them as Philip Judge looks strikingly like Danny --- if he were still alive and six years older.

What transpires next is a jet-setting and continent-hopping series of events that will leave readers breathless. THE FIRST ORDER does not have the shoot-’em-up action of previous novels in the series. Rather, it plays out like a fine chess match with pieces being eliminated move after move. Through it all, Sam remains stalwart in his own personal mission. His first order credo is, quite frankly, don't leave your brother behind.

THE FIRST ORDER is a great way for fans of espionage and thriller novels to kick off the new year. In fact, Sam himself will find his own opportunity for redemption as the book leaves the door wide open for another mission that may involve Sam's work with a group of like-minded individuals. Buckle up and hang on to the end of this electric read!