Penzler Pick, September 2001: Greg Rucka has created a remarkable character named Atticus Kodiak, a bodyguard who, together with assorted friends and associates, has appeared in four previous books. Before reading Critical Space, it's not necessary to know the sometimes complicated history of Atticus and his professional and personal relationships, but it helps.

It helps, for instance, to know that Atticus has been romantically involved with Bridget and Natalie, both of whom have worked on cases with him. It helps to know that Bridget has a very complicated past, which Rucka chronicled in his fourth book, Shooting at Midnight. And it helps to know that he has already had a run-in with one of the most deadly international assassins working--a beautiful woman who goes by the name of Drama.

It is Drama who takes center stage in this latest tale. After quitting a high-profile case as bodyguard to spoiled movie star Skye Van Brandt, Kodiak is approached by an old friend from England who is bringing the famous abused children's advocate, Lady Antonia Ainsley-Hunter, to the States for some appearances. After one near-miss with Lady Antonia, another attempt to abduct her is successful. But it is not a ransom or publicity that the kidnapper wants--she is merely bait for the real target: Atticus. A game of cat and mouse leads through the subways of New York, out to Staten Island, and back over to New Jersey, where Atticus is once again in the presence of Drama, who now needs his help. She has become a target of an assassin named Oxford, who is every bit as good as she is. Drama, who has some idea who might have put the hit on her, needs backup to combat this elite killer.

What is remarkable about this book, and the series as a whole, is not only the writing, which is crisp and concise, but the inside information from Rucka about what it takes to be a bodyguard, what the training is like, and how certain situations are defused. Rucka knows his stuff and deserves a wider audience. --Otto Penzler


From Publishers Weekly
The trouble with the old Tom and Jerry cartoons was that the mouse had all the moves. In Rucka's new thriller (after Shooting at Midnight), best read with a bag of popcorn in hand, the cat has learned a lot. The mice (so to speak) are the KTMH Security team, headed by Atticus Kodiak, renowned as the only security operative ever to outmaneuver a young female assassin know as Drama, one of the deadliest members of The Ten, an international group of stone-cold killers. Kodiak is not an arrogant man. He realizes that his escape was pure luck, and he isn't surprised when Drama turns up again. This time her target seems to be KTMH's lucrative new client, 23-year-old heiress and child rights activist Lady Ainsley-Hunter, but at the height of the chase she turns the tables: she wants to hire Kodiak as her personal bodyguard. Seduced by the complicated, surprisingly fragile killer, Kodiak can't help but take the job, even if it means going up against an even deadlier assassin, the FBI and his own best friends and colleagues. Rucka's suspense is based not on violent confrontation but on "what happens next?" The action tends to be a bit drawn-out, but the pace is good and the plot compelling. Best of all, Rucka's protagonists are well-rounded and sympathetic, convincingly resourceful and refreshingly low-key. Solidarity and friendship are as important as weaponry and tactics in this satisfying, character-driven thriller. Agent, David Hale Smith. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
In his fifth novel, Rucka (Shooting at Midnight) immerses readers in the intriguing world of protection agencies. Atticus Kodiak has been hired to protect Lady Ainsley-Hunter, a social activist who appears to be the target of a sex-crazed follower. Instead, she is kidnapped by an assassin sought and employed by intelligence agencies under the code name Drama. Drama is a hit woman with whom Kodiak has tangled in the past, and he is forced to take on Drama as a client in order to save Lady Ainsley-Hunter. Drama, a Russian orphan raised as Alena before being trained to kill, is herself the target of a highly skilled assassin known as Oxford. Together, Atticus and Drama/Alena must survive while attempting to ferret out the individuals behind Oxford. A strong premise, interesting details of the trade, and an engaging protagonist ultimately fade away, owing to long stretches given over to the endless movements of bodyguards, agents, and suspects and a villain who fails to come to life. Recommended, however, for larger collections of popular fiction. Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
If you're a professional bodyguard assigned to protect a woman who very probably wants to kill you, what exactly is the protocol? That's the intriguing question posed in this cunning thriller. Atticus Kodiak is the bodyguard, a resourceful fellow who doesn't like playing games; Drama is the professional killer who's wandered through Atticus' life before, with unpleasant results. Now Drama herself is the intended victim. Can Atticus protect her? Does Drama really mean to give up her homicidal lifestyle? And just how many killers does Atticus need to worry about here, anyway? This is a genuinely thrilling thriller, tidily written and deceptively plotted (surprises stay well hidden until the curtain is whipped away). The relationship between Atticus and Drama is fascinating and unpredictable: a man and a woman getting to know each other, doing the familiar dance, but all the while asking themselves the same question: Will I eventually have to kill this person? Rucka is a fine writer, and there may be great things in his future. This novel may be a touch overlong (some passages of dialogue continue past their natural stopping point), but to complain about that would be nitpicking. A first-rate thriller. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
?A skillfully orchestrated cat-and-mouse game during which cat and mouse have a most entertaining way of switching roles.... Deftly plotted, elegantly written: might just be the thriller of the year.?
? Kirkus Reviews, starred review

?[T]he pace is good and the plot compelling. Best of all, Rucka?s protagonists are well-rounded and sympathetic, convincingly resourceful and refreshingly low-key. Solidarity and friendship are as important as weaponry and tactics in this satisfying, character-driven thriller.?
? Publishers Weekly

?Put Rucka on the short ?must read? list.?
? The Philadelphia Inquirer


Rave reviews for Greg Rucka?s previous thriller, Shooting at Midnight:

?First-rate suspense?Strong writing and intelligent plotting, but best of all are Rucka?s characters: edgy, complex, interesting to a one. And Bridie is a triumph.?
? Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

?This is prime Rucka, deliberately paced and wound tight.... This book will keep you awake until you?ve finished the last page. And maybe even after that.?
? Statesman Journal, Salem, OR

?A palpable sense of danger drives the narrative.... A crime novel that?possesses a relentless and nearly irresistible force.?
? Publishers Weekly (starred review)

?Anything but traditional. Rucka creates a morally ambiguous world.... Rucka?s deft exploration of this theme deepens and enriches Shooting at Midnight, raising it way above the average private eye novel.?
? Mystery News

?A thumping good story ... a whiplash ride ... with more hairpin turns than an alpine highway.?
? St. Petersburg Times

?A dark, fascinating tale of love and trust and redemption.?
? Sunday Tribune Review

?Gritty?true-life suspense.?
? BookPage

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The acclaimed author of Shooting at Midnight has penned a thriller like no other ... the no-holds-barred story of a bodyguard with the ultimate assignment: protecting a woman who also happens to be the most hunted killer in the world...
Code-named Drama, she is a lightning-fast death machine — a hitwoman sought by intelligence agencies around the world. Drama kills as easily as she breathes ... and the last time she and Atticus Kodiak met, they barely escaped each other alive.
Atticus Kodiak has a reputation as one of the toughest bodyguards in the business. He’s used to picking his assignments and calling the shots. But all that changes when he is forced to take on Drama as a client — the last person he ever imagined would need his protection.
This time, Drama is the one who is running from a killer. She needs Atticus’s help, and she won’t take no for an answer. To prove it, she abducts a high-profile member of the royal family whom Atticus has sworn to protect. He will do almost anything to get the woman back. But what Drama needs from him will destroy his reputation — and siding with her means he can never turn back.
From New York’s Russian enclaves to the Swiss Alps and the Caribbean, Atticus becomes Drama’s protector, and her only hope for survival as she tries to outlive and outrun her bloody past. But once immersed in Drama’s high-stakes, covert world, Atticus breaks a cardinal rule: He gets to know Drama as a woman rather than just a client — and it’s a bond that could cost them both their lives.
For the men hunting Drama are capable of unspeakable violence — of sins thatmake Drama’s own look like the acts of an amateur. And they will stop at nothing to see her dead....
A masterful work by one of the most unique voices in the field, Critical Space combines high-voltage, high-tech action with swift, terrifying brutality. The result is Greg Rucka’s most explosive thriller to date — a powerhouse of a novel destined to become a classic of modern suspense.
From the Hardcover edition.

SYNOPSIS

The acclaimed author of Shooting at Midnight has penned a thriller like no other ... the no-holds-barred story of a bodyguard with the ultimate assignment: protecting a woman who also happens to be the most hunted killer in the world...

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

The trouble with the old Tom and Jerry cartoons was that the mouse had all the moves. In Rucka's new thriller (after Shooting at Midnight), best read with a bag of popcorn in hand, the cat has learned a lot. The mice (so to speak) are the KTMH Security team, headed by Atticus Kodiak, renowned as the only security operative ever to outmaneuver a young female assassin know as Drama, one of the deadliest members of The Ten, an international group of stone-cold killers. Kodiak is not an arrogant man. He realizes that his escape was pure luck, and he isn't surprised when Drama turns up again. This time her target seems to be KTMH's lucrative new client, 23-year-old heiress and child rights activist Lady Ainsley-Hunter, but at the height of the chase she turns the tables: she wants to hire Kodiak as her personal bodyguard. Seduced by the complicated, surprisingly fragile killer, Kodiak can't help but take the job, even if it means going up against an even deadlier assassin, the FBI and his own best friends and colleagues. Rucka's suspense is based not on violent confrontation but on "what happens next?" The action tends to be a bit drawn-out, but the pace is good and the plot compelling. Best of all, Rucka's protagonists are well-rounded and sympathetic, convincingly resourceful and refreshingly low-key. Solidarity and friendship are as important as weaponry and tactics in this satisfying, character-driven thriller. Agent, David Hale Smith. (Oct. 9) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

In his fifth novel, Rucka (Shooting at Midnight) immerses readers in the intriguing world of protection agencies. Atticus Kodiak has been hired to protect Lady Ainsley-Hunter, a social activist who appears to be the target of a sex-crazed follower. Instead, she is kidnapped by an assassin sought and employed by intelligence agencies under the code name Drama. Drama is a hit woman with whom Kodiak has tangled in the past, and he is forced to take on Drama as a client in order to save Lady Ainsley-Hunter. Drama, a Russian orphan raised as Alena before being trained to kill, is herself the target of a highly skilled assassin known as Oxford. Together, Atticus and Drama/Alena must survive while attempting to ferret out the individuals behind Oxford. A strong premise, interesting details of the trade, and an engaging protagonist ultimately fade away, owing to long stretches given over to the endless movements of bodyguards, agents, and suspects and a villain who fails to come to life. Recommended, however, for larger collections of popular fiction. Ronnie H. Terpening, Univ. of Arizona, Tucson Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews