FFB: Shadow Knight's Mate -- Jay Brandon

This isn't a forgotten book, since it was published only last year.  I should more properly call it an overlooked book.  Or have you read it?  Anyway, Judy and I both became fans of Jay Brandon's work with his first book, Deadbolt, having met him at an MWA meeting in Houston a couple of years after we moved here.  We read most, if not all, of his books after that one, and this one is very different from any of the others.

There's this secret society, see, known as The Circle, and they've been operating behind the scenes in the U. S. for a couple of centuries influencing the government and the country very subtly, through suggestions and not actions.  Nobody knows about them, not even the people they influence.  They're not allowed to become famous, and they don't hold public office.  Most of them have special talents and abilities, and they're spotted and trained early.  Now someone has discovered the secret, and The Circle and the country are under attack.

Jack Driscoll, a member of The Circle and a former video game designer, seems to be a particular focus of the attacks, as people all over the world are impersonating him.  With the assistance (or is it?) of Arden, a frighteningly smart young woman, Jack races all over the world to find answers to his questions and to discover who's attacking The Circle.  

This is a smart international thriller with a slight SF element that races right along.  I suspect there'll be a sequel, and I'll be in line to read it.