Unbridled power and relentless revenge converge in the exciting, tightly plotted “The Short Drop,” which launches a new series about former computer hacker Gibson Vaughn.

Matthew FitzSimmons delivers an assured, action-packed debut that features strong shades of the political thriller. Fans of Lee Child, Gregg Hurwitz and Harlan Coben will find much to like in “The Short Drop.”

On the surface, Gibson appears to be the quintessential thriller hero -- a tough as nails, former Marine who lives slightly off the grid. But FitzSimmons also imbues Gibson with emotional vulnerability that traces back to the disappearance of 14-year-old Suzanne Lombard, the daughter of then-Senator Benjamin Lombard. Suzanne was like his younger sister as the two were raised together because Gibson‘s father, Duke, was the senator’s chief of staff. After Suzanne vanished, Duke committed suicide and Gibson spiraled out of control.

A decade later, Gibson is recruited by George Abe, whose consulting group has found new evidence linked to Suzanne‘s disappearance.

The investigation is complicated because the former senator, now the leading presidential candidate, has made it his mission to destroy Gibson’s life, getting him fired from almost every job. And George, who once worked for Lombard, knows how vengeful the politician is. Gibson‘s investigation takes him to the small town where Suzanne was last spotted, the home of a socially connected family and a remote cabin. (Tribune Content Agency)