BLOOD LIES

In the latest covert-ops Rogue Warrior caper penned by and starring wisecracking ex-Navy SEAL Marcinko, two damsels in distress in Mexico need help—and then there's the matter of a Hezbollah camp the female secretary of state has heard is being harbored by the Mexican drug cartel.

Marcinko first must rescue Melissa, the beautiful and feisty 22-year-old daughter of a retired SEAL, from kidnappers. Then he must help the equally stunning Veronica, a former Detroit cop, find her grandparents, who vanished after buying a home in Mexico. When not being complimented on his books, which are in the possession of friends and foes alike, our op-for-hire spends most of his time dodging bullets, bombs, missiles, land mines and vicious dogs. All the while, he instructs the reader on the do's and don'ts of thwarting the enemy, à la superspy Michael Weston on TV's Burn Notice, only with a higher degree of self-appreciation. It takes a certain skill to maintain a genial attitude while blowing the top of a baddie's head off, but Marcinko the narrator/action figure has that down pat. Even when requiring snarky or explanatory footnotes, his riffs—to a point—keep the book afloat. (Credit for that is due to co-author DeFelice, whose FBI thriller The Helios Conspiracy is spiked with wit). The plot is little more than an excuse for chest-thumping, making disappointingly little of the Hezbollah angle. Navy hero Marcinko's latest fictional adventure may well get rave reviews from characters in his next Rogue Warrior novel, but its modern-day swashbuckle wears thin.