Helpful Score: 1
BAGMAN by Jay MacLarty The second book in MacLarty's thriller series featuring globetrotting, ask-no-questions delivery man Simon Leonidovich succeeds in all the areas that its predecessor didn't and establishes Simon as a character worth following. Fresh from his previous case, where he helped expose a diet pill that was about to cause a medical holocaust, Simon is approached by Big Jake Rynerson, a wealthy hotel magnate (think Donald Trump). Rynerson's daughter, an eco-activist, has just been kidnapped in South America, and he wants Simon to deliver the ransom. Simon is aided by a small staff of Rynerson's confidants, including a world-renowned expert on kidnap recovery. It doesn't take long for the crew to realize that the kidnappers have every intention of killing the daughter, money or not, and a simple delivery will no longer suffice. While the first book in the series, The Courier, was heavy on the chase and thin on the science driving it, this entry is well-rounded and compelling. It has all the elements of a great thrillera chase, a vicious villain, a healthy dose of red herrings, and, most importantly, a likeable heroand MacLarty balances these components expertly.
