"A fine addition to this mini-series"

In 2176, Cai works for the United Colonies of Earth Army Special Forces and has since her parents vanishedwhen she was a teen. She works from an office while her field partner Captain Jake Tucker carries out the mission. They communicate through telepathy using nanoprobes in the brain. The pair has never met and Jake assumes his cohort is a computer.

However, Jake's notion of his teammate changes when Cai comes out of the "shadows", enters a bar and uses telepathy to prove she knows him "intimately". She pleads with him to take her along on his next assignment, the capture of Banzai Maguire because Cai feels the legendary woman can provide her insight into what happened to her parents. Jake wants to refuse because he fears taking a "civilian" into a scenario, but reluctantly agrees. As they work together in person for the first time, both feel the fire between them, but the objective remains the capture of the legend Banzai before pursuing that attraction.

The fourth entry in the futuristic romantic science fiction thriller is a terrific entry as nano-technologies are introduced that seem genuine. They pump up the authenticity of the exciting story line. Cai is a fabulous protagonist and Jake is a strong soldier; this duo manages to take their cyber-distant partnership into a blood and guts teaming on two levels: personal and professional. The chase for the woman who started the miniseries Banzai adds a continuity so that fans obtain a winner that can stand alone or enhance the late twenty- first run.

Harriet Klausner

Reviewed by Harriet Klausner
Posted November 21, 2004

Book 1: The Legend of Banzai Maguire by Susan Grant (April 2004)
Book 2: Day of Fire by Kathleen Nance (May 2004)
Book 3: The Shadow Runners by Liz Maverick (June 2004)

Book 5: The Scarlet Empress by Susan Grant (December 2004)

Summary

Five women. One goal: Freedom.

CAI RANDOLPH

The UCE: In the 21st and 22nd Centuries, the United States changed and grew. Now the United Colonies of Earth dominate the globe. But a mysterious voice is broadcasting treason, inciting revolution and referring to the "ideals of 1776"— and to an enigmatic figure named Banzai Maguire.

To find Banzai, the UCE assigns Cai. She's the "anchor," the techie half of a Quandem: a pair of elite operatives intended for just such covert action. Neural implants allow her to sit back in a control chair and feed information to her partner, the dark-souled Jacob Tucker. He's as rigid as he is deadly...or handsome. But this time, it can't be business as usual. This time, Cai needs Jake to trust her completely. Whether he likes it or not, she can't sit back while he fights the bad guys. Wherever this mission takes her, Cai is gonna be the one kicking a little tail.