Verdict: Though Upnick has an irksome tendency to tell rather than show, readers will be mesmerized by this complex intergalactic intrigue.

In this sequel to the well-received Time Will Tell, Vito Martino, a foul-mouthed, street- smart vintage car dealer, is called upon by the President of the United States (who happens to be Vito’s former high school classmate), to back up the Secretary of State (also a pal from his youth).

The year is 2022, and the world is bordering on chaos, with Russian Assault Team Specialists (aka “RATS”) running roughshod. But as Vito travels the world representing the USA as Assistant to the Secretary of State (ASS), he learns of an even greater responsibility: His mission is to finish some business his father started, and locate a powerful weapon called the Eradicator, which has the capacity to remove all liquid from living things.

In his quest, Vito teams up with Victoria, an attractive CIA operative and the mother of outrageously gifted twins, whose heroic, time-traveling father once helped save the world. He also adopts two siblings with terminal cancer (not to worry, though, all the kids come out on top in this tale). From country to country, and one impending disaster to the next (including aliens determined to bring Earth to its knees, and the threat of a new Ice Age) Vito remains cool, collected, and wise-cracking—even when en route to another planet.

Though Upnick has an irksome tendency to tell rather than show, readers will be mesmerized by this complex intergalactic intrigue. While heavy on plot twists and uncanny coincidences, there is also an underlying message about how countries—and one day, planets—will be required to cooperate and peacefully coexist in order to survive.

Reviewed by Kathryn Livingston

Avid reader and book reviewer. Author “All About Motherhood” (an indie) and other titles that are not. Blogs about family issues. Practices yoga.  www.livwrite.blogspot.com