Author Victor M. Alvarez is quickly establishing himself as a force to be reckoned within the world of military thrillers. His latest novel, ‘The Theseus Conspiracy,’ once again finds the Florida-based author delivering an action-packed, suspense-laden deep-dive into the world of CID Special Agent Jacqueline ‘Belle’ Sinclair.
Picking up where Victor M. Alvarez’s last novel (‘Requiem for the Dead’) left off, ‘The Theseus Conspiracy’ once again finds CID Special Agent ‘Belle’ at the center of a massive global conspiracy. The novel begins with a tragedy when her long-time partner (and current fiance) Tom Price is severely wounded in an op gone wrong. Unfortunately, she has little time to dwell on Tom’s situation as she quickly receives word that the world has a massive problem, and that problem’s name is a madman named Theseus.
Theseus, a former double-agent named Matthew Banks, has a bitter vendetta against a pair of opposing superpowers made all the more complicated by his recent acquisition of some, you guessed it, nuclear bombs. From there, Sinclair, with some much-needed help from a couple of new friends, is locked in a race against the clock to find Banks and effectively stop World War III.
While the pacing and mix of action and suspense are top-notch, ‘The Theseus Conspiracy’ is not Alvarez’s most air-tight plot to date—there’s a whole lot of things happening for no other reason than ‘just because,’ and dwelling on any particular scene only leads to more questions. Still, ‘The Theseus Conspiracy’ is, first and foremost, a political thriller, and ‘thrills’ are exactly what it provides. Additionally, Alvarez continues to make impressive headway filling in the gaps of Sinclair’s character. Obviously, kicking ass and taking names is her modus operandi, but the glimpse into her inner turmoil are a welcome and refreshing change of pace from all of the frenetic action.
While ‘The Theseus Conspiracy’ definitely works as a standalone entry, those unfamiliar with Alvarez’s previous work may feel a bit disoriented during the first few chapters. Stick with it, and you will be rewarded, as the book eventually comes together about a hundred pages in. With a handful of Jacqueline Sinclair-led novels under his belt, Alvarez has clearly struck upon a winning formula. While one can’t help but wonder how many more times the feisty Special Agent can save the world, I’m excited to see where Alvarez takes this franchise from here.