Last summer, award-winning author Jeff Abbott introduced us to ex-CIA agent Sam Capra.  In his electrifying novel ADRENALINE, Abbott lived up to his title with an energy-fueled retro-rocket of a thriller that jumped off the page and right into readers’ laps.

ADRENALINE found Sam Capra facing  the most serious dilemma of his career. A building full of innocent people is blown to bits in London just moments after he received a mysterious phone call requesting that he leave the building. That call came from his wife, Lucy. Sam was initially branded a traitor by his own people and spent the rest of the book trying to track down who was really behind the tragic attack.

"Jeff Abbott quickly creates a labyrinthine plot that will trap readers inside its twists and turns until the breathless finale, where many surprises await. This is a terrific summer read and another reason why Abbott deserves to be among the elite authors in the crowded thriller genre."

Sam was successful only in uncovering the deadly organization behind these events.  That group, referred to as the Nine Suns, got away with their actions while Lucy took the fall for the traitorous act. Now, in THE LAST MINUTE, Sam is still at the whim of the Nine Suns and their nefarious followers, who claim to have his infant child, Daniel, in custody. Sam has never laid eyes on Daniel but will do anything to rescue him.

There is one small hurdle: if Sam is ever to see Daniel again, he must murder Jack Ming, a young hacker who holds a laptop notebook with information that is critical to taking down the Nine Suns. Can he kill someone in cold blood just to see his child again? If so, can he trust the Nine Suns to hold up their end of the bargain?

Sam is teamed with a young woman of dubious skills whose child is also being held by the Nine Suns. Leonie must work with Sam to find and take down Jack. But Jack is a very resourceful young man who trusts no one and will not be an easy target to catch. He escapes from a hospital in Europe and flees to his family home in New York City, realizing some very dangerous people will be in pursuit of him and the secrets he is protecting.

Sam finds himself relying on old friends, like his former Langley boss, August, and the mysterious Eastern European spy, Mila, who he worked with in ADRENALINE. Both Sam and Mila possess an interesting cover job --- they own bars around the world. Mila’s bar, Adrenaline, was prominently featured in the last novel, while this installment centrally focuses on Sam’s midtown Manhattan bar, aptly named The Last Minute.

THE LAST MINUTE does not move as quickly as ADRENALINE --- but not many novels can.  What it does is cleverly delve into the motivation and actions of each of the principal characters to the point where you are not sure who to root for. Jeff Abbott quickly creates a labyrinthine plot that will trap readers inside its twists and turns until the breathless finale, where many surprises await. This is a terrific summer read and another reason why Abbott deserves to be among the elite authors in the crowded thriller genre.