See all titles by Frederick Forsyth

Colin Dexter is a small-town lawyer whose life has been devastated by tragedy-his daughter was murdered by kidnappers and his wife committed suicide. He responded by dedicating himself to avenging crimes. An idealistic young man has recently been killed by a Serbian warlord, who then disappeared. Though Dexter has retired from his life as an "Avenger," he is hired to find the warlord and bring him back. Dexter was never a killer; he has always brought criminals to justice alive. A combat veteran and highly decorated "tunnel rat" in Vietnam, he may be over 50, but he is a triathlete and is in excellent shape for the mission.

Forsyth's books are always compared to his first novel, The Day of the Jackal, and Avenger compares most favorably; gripping, complex, and exciting, this is a well-written and thrilling tale of evil and retribution. Readers may want to compare Forsyth's Colin Dexter to Tom Clancy's John Clark or Lee Child's Jack Reacher, but Dexter stands firmly on his own.