Triple Cross    by Mark T. Sullivan Order:  USA  Can St. Martin's, 2009 (2009) Hardcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Martina Bexte The Jefferson Club is a luxurious private ski resort located in the mountains of South Western Montana where only the world's elite can afford a membership. It's New Year's Eve. As various wealthy business leaders and their wives toast their individual successes or huddle in small groups making new multibillion-dollar deals, hooded, heavily armed intruders suddenly storm the ballroom. In short order a man identifying himself as General Anarchy announces that he is the leader of The Third Position Army and that their agenda is to put capitalism on trial, live on the Internet, for the entire world to witness. Mickey Hennessey, retired Special Agent and current head of Jefferson Club's security, survives the initial assault that's taken out the rest of his team. Though wounded during the firefight, he's desperate to get back inside and find his three teenagers, who've been spending the holidays with him. But he quickly realizes that without any knowledge of what he's up against he'd be nothing more than a liability to his kids and the other hostages. While various law enforcement agencies set up camp outside the resort, inside seven of the richest men on the planet are summarily tried for crimes against humanity. After each mock trial, General Anarchy urges viewers to vote on his captives' fates. While events escalate and an increasingly horrified public watch as grisly death sentences are carried out, Mickey realises he can't sit on the sidelines any longer - he's going back inside the resort to rescue his kids - or die trying. Sullivan lays all the necessary groundwork for a positively riveting thriller: non-stop action, a timely plot that leaves readers wondering exactly who controls the financial markets, and a very sympathetic and likeable lead in Mickey Hennessey. A great cast of secondaries includes Hennessey's scene-stealing teen triplets. Though terrified of their captors, they're even more terrified of the likelihood that they'd lost their dad in the initial assault. Determined to either locate his corpse or help him escape, they play an often-resourceful game of cat-and-mouse with their captors. A double whammy ending filled with even more heart-stopping surprises only adds to the thrill ride, making Triple Cross one of those rare books that's almost impossible to put down. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews