Bonnie Ramthun’s debut novel starts with a bang. A secret war games test of the ballistic missile defense system at a high security Air Force base in Colorado comes to a premature end when a gorgeous computer programmer is discovered murdered in a small sealed room.

There are plenty of suspects. The other seven ‘Gamers’ all had reasons to wish Terry Guzman dead. Colorado Springs Detective Eileen Reed is the military liaison assigned to the investigation. But Eileen knows she has to work quickly, the Air Force Special Investigator is on his way and will take over her case as soon as he arrives.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, CIA analyst Lucy Giometti is working on another case involving theft of military secrets and a crazed terrorist with a plan to start a nuclear war that will make him ruler of the resulting Arab empire. Lucy quickly discovers that her case is connected to Eileen’s and the two women are on a collision course that could impact the future of the world.

Although occasionally overburdened with technical details, Ground Zero moves at a fast pace with swiftly changing scenes from Colorado to Virginia to Europe to Uzbekistan. A former ‘Gamer’ herself, Ramthun knows her stuff, but the strength in Ground Zero is her characterization. She has created two intriguing characters in Eileen and especially Lucy Giometti. In the middle of a difficult pregnancy, Lucy eats her way through the novel to control her nausea. Her job sometimes interferes with her search for the best donut or flavored beef jerky. A brilliant analyst, her irreverent attitude defies and intimidates both her boss and top Navy brass.

In fact, every female character in Ground Zero is strong and intelligent, even the victim. A few of the male characters suffer in comparison. And it does make the rather unnecessary romance between Eileen and one of the suspects a bit implausible. The only real disappointment in Ground Zero is that Eileen, an experienced and competent detective makes a major blunder in the investigation and a rookie detective quickly rectifies her mistake.

Here’s hoping that Eileen and Lucy will meet again in the future. Ground Zero is a terrific debut novel for Bonnie Ramthun.

--Dede Anderson