William Parker, the hero of Anderson Harp’s impressive debut novel, Retribution, is exactly the kind of protagonist Kurt Russell would have played back in the day. An ex-Marine, Parker is an ultra-competent freelancer with a tragic backstory—he lost his parents when Pan Am Flight 103 was brought down over Lockerbie, Scotland. When offered the opportunity to strike back at one of the architects of that heinous act, he jumps at the chance, going undercover as a journalist who has gained the terrorist’s trust via his pro-Jihad articles.

Although the buildup to Parker’s intriguing endgame borders on the overlong, it’s well worth the wait.