The Scorpion by Christian Cantrell

Random House, 336 pages, $27.00

“The Scorpion” is a book one should read after reading the second or third in (what surely will be) the series. It is the origin story that filmmakers would shoot after their series has proven to be a hit. That’s because the origin story can sometimes be slow moving and incomprehensible, but might be enjoyable because you know how it will turn out. I didn’t feel any sort of jolt until two-thirds of the way into the book. Then, for me, the action and the story’s cri de coeur became clearer. Two-thirds is a long time to read without being swept away. Why did I keep going? Why? Why?

Quinn Mitchell, senior analyst in the CIA, becomes, after a couple of red herring candidates, the main character. She is despondent after the death of her young child and the subsequent break-up of her marriage. Focusing on catching “The Elite Assassin” revives her.

“The Elite Assassin” operates worldwide. He (or she) kills seemingly unconnected targets. They range in age from old to (gasp) a nine-month-old baby. The victims have numbers marked on their skin. The assassin goes to great lengths to accomplish his murders. These are not casual, off-the-cuff endeavors. There is some sort of sick rationale behind the choices.

It becomes obvious from the first that the book’s world is more advanced technologically than ours. But it is similar enough that we can recognize pizza, yoga, the Large Hadron Collider, Emirates Airlines, suitcases. The difference is in Christian Cantrell's world AI assistance is ramped way up. For example, the suitcases imprint on their owners and follow dutifully along without needing to be minded. The Assassin uses many tech advancements to plan and execute the kills. Quinn is an expert at using the tech tools at her command to hunt the Assassin. Who will succeed with their quest: the assassin with an unknown kill list or Quinn?

One of the big differences in our world and Cantrell's fictional world is in Cantrell's world Seoul, Korea, has been destroyed by a nuclear weapon. Henrietta Yi, one of Quinn’s colleagues, was orphaned by that blast. She has many degrees and accomplishments but chose to work for the U.S. government, even though she is a world-class brain and could write her own ticket within a commercial venture. Why would the government need such high-powered brains? Because there is something on the horizon that is inexplicable: It appears a message has reached the present-day world from the future. It would be nice if someone could decipher it. Could Henrietta be the one?

“The Scorpion” is a techno-thriller — the first time I have ever used that designation — and if you don’t like your adventure novels with some geeky physics stuff, keep walking. Has Keanu Reeves or the Wachowski siblings read this book?

P.S. The usual good guys versus bad guys thing doesn't work here. And there are cliff-hangers.