I have always thought of Jeff Abbott as “the King of High Octane Thriller Writing,” and that has never been more evident than with his terrific Sam Capra series. The latest installment, TRAITOR’S DANCE, truly lives up to this hype.

The suspense is ramped up instantly when Sam Capra thinks he notices an assassin entering his son Daniel’s middle school basketball game. It’s difficult for Sam to focus on his star player son in the final minutes of a close game while also keeping his eye on the dangerous stranger who he knows he must stop and take down. But he has to do so secretly; if anyone at the school gets wind of what’s happening, it will mean that he and Daniel will have to uproot and leave their home in Austin, Texas, where they are both so happy.

"TRAITOR’S DANCE is a great story with shocking twists and non-stop thrills. I expect nothing less from Jeff Abbott, who continues to blow me away with his unputdownable thrillers."

When Sam comes face to face with the intruder, he realizes that he recognizes him. The man indicates that he is not there to harm anyone; he merely wants to pass on an assignment from Section K that could only be communicated in this manner. When the time is right, Sam reaches out to an old colleague at Section K. His next assignment involves reeling in Markus Bolt, an American traitor who had defected over to Russia. Apparently, he may now be on the run back to the U.S. His daughter, Amanda, lives in Miami, where Sam operates one of his many international bars.

Daniel is told that he will be staying with his old sitter, Leonie, and her new family while his dad flies to Miami to take care of some bar business. Sam’s job is to maintain surveillance on Amanda and her mother, Karen, either of whom may encounter a fleeing Markus.

Back in Austin, Daniel has been getting increasingly curious about his late mother, Lucy. He learns that her grave is an empty one and that her ashes were dumped elsewhere via a cryptic note left for him at school. He feels that his father has never told him the entire story regarding her death. So he convinces Leonie to drive him to the grave to pay his respects, but still he has no answers.

Daniel receives another message and finds out that the sender is a woman who claims to have information about his mother. If only Sam were able to tell him that Lucy had turned into a traitor and bombed their own office, framing him for her crime.

Meanwhile, not only has Sam found Amanda --- only to lose her shortly thereafter --- he has connected with Karen. He lets Karen in on the mission for Section K and informs her that he is a fixer. Knowing that they are all on the same team makes for a better partnership as they look for Amanda with their eyes open for Markus.

Daniel meets the mystery woman, who turns out to be his Aunt Clarice on his mother’s side. She shares some details about his mother and then later introduces him to his Uncle Mark. His aunt and uncle suggest that they all travel to Miami to confront Sam and discover the truth about his mother. What follows is a major showdown involving Sam and his crew, with Daniel and Amanda being placed in the middle of danger.

TRAITOR’S DANCE is a great story with shocking twists and non-stop thrills. I expect nothing less from Jeff Abbott, who continues to blow me away with his unputdownable thrillers.