The Recruiter

Podolski debuts with a tense crime drama centered on Rick Carter, a recruiter of expert criminals who must save his family after a job goes sideways. Rick’s troubles begin when a Belgian mob boss named Trish threatens to kill him if he refuses to oversee hits on six law enforcement officers across the globe. Reluctantly, Rick gets to work, but he’s jolted when he realizes that one of the targets—a Philadelphia police detective—is his ex-wife’s new husband. Refusing to help kill his children’s stepfather, Rick tries to back out, and Trish makes good on her promise, unleashing two assassins to hunt him down. That sends Rick on a mad dash to protect the family he abandoned in New Jersey 10 years earlier, and he draws on his network of nefarious associates to throw his pursuers off the trail. Though some of Rick’s hand-wringing grows maudlin, for the most part Podolski nails it on his first go-round, delivering a page-turner with sharp dialogue and a memorable protagonist. Here’s hoping readers hear more from Rick soon. Agent: Daniel Milaschewski, UTA. (July)