The Bottom Line: A brilliantly written action thriller featuring the world’s most relatable superhero.
In THREE NINES FINE, Hollywood A-lister Lonnie Penn books a private charter from Wisconsin to South Dakota. Starstruck pilot Will Stewart obeys Lonnie’s request for complete discretion and privacy, waiting outside a motel room as she goes inside to retrieve her “Oscar.” Minutes later, he swoops in to rescue her from a potentially tragic situation – only to discover that Lonnie didn’t come to retrieve a stolen academy award. Oscar is actually the name of her missing grandson.
Will claims he’s no good in a fight, but the book’s first action scene proves that he’s far from useless. His powers include the ability to vanish, float and reappear. He can grip another human and make them vanish and appear as well. If holding a propulsion system, he can fly up to 60 miles per hour.
But there are limits. In one of the book’s most illuminating scenes, he’s called upon to demonstrate his talents for the Deputy Director of the FBI. Lest the FBI think he’s some kind of invincible super spy, Will finds himself detailing his vulnerabilities, which are plentiful (wind, people, doors, and lack of steerage, to name a few).
Fortunately, Will isn’t entirely dependent on his own skills. He’s married to Detective Andy Stewart, who in addition to being a kick-ass cop, is accustomed to teaming up with her husband on critical missions. In this, the seventh novel in Howard Seaborne’s DIVISIBLE MAN series, the pair set out to find Oscar and his mother, Gloria. What starts with a tale of suspected corruption in the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency turns into real stakes for the nation. Along the way, the Stewarts discover the potential involvement of a major Mexican cartel whose business is rapidly evolving. Led by brothers Sergei and Lev, the cartel traffics in drugs, humans – and potentially – terror.
In choosing to tell the story from Will’s point of view, Seaborne has created one of the world’s most relatable superheroes. Through Will’s observations, we learn that he’s just like us: pragmatic (“never miss an opportunity to eat a good meal”), self-conscious (“I wonder, as I did the day before, and the day before that, if this trick will work again”) and hilariously judgmental (“Her pause struck me as overly dramatic. I wondered if she lived every moment as if a camera focused on her”). What’s more, he clearly adores his wife and partner.
While the strength of THREE NINES FINE will no doubt send readers to check out the entire series, the book also works well as a stand-alone novel.
