Elroy Coffin, computer geek and high-tech criminal, is serving time in a maximum security prison and nursing a deep-seated hatred for a man named David Hartman, whom he holds responsible for the deaths of his father and his wife, Toni. Unexpectedly, Jayne Jenison, a "concerned citizen" with loads of dough, turns up and offers him an early release and a chance for payback against Hartman. Coffin initially balks until he's told that his father and Toni are, in fact, alive—and Hartman is holding Toni as a kind of hostage. Enraged, Coffin is quick to take the deal. Naturally, Jenison has a much larger secret agenda.

Complicating Coffin's search, Romano's protagonist must overcome the side effects of a brain injury incurred when he was shot in the head. Because of this, it's impossible for Coffin to remember Toni's face: he can only recall the scent of roses and rusty metal.

In trying to thwart Hartman's plans by assisting Jenison's military cadre, Coffin becomes a pawn trapped between factions with conflicting political and personal objectives. To find the truth, Coffin must confront his fears and release his rage. In an interesting twist, Coffin bonds with some tough female soldiers, who help him work out his problems.

Resurrection Express moves like a bullet train on a twisting track. Coffin tells the story with great intensity, but he's an unreliable narrator and he knows it. This makes his entire life a guessing game. Just when Coffin thinks he knows what's going on, the rug gets pulled out from under him—repeatedly. The result is a slick, satisfying thriller, in which the reader is constantly wondering, who is on whose side.