YORK seems to spring up in the most unlikely of places. Here I was transported back to the mid 18th century, reading about the exploits of Southern African adventurers, when, lo and behold, our great city gets a mention.

It turns out Sarah Courtney, the wife of Tom Courtney, one of the main characters, was born in York, and in tribute to her, and the city, he named his schooner Maid Of York.

The book in question is Wilbur Smith's new blockbuster, Blue Horizon (Macmillan, £18.99), which follows the adventures of Tom Courtney, his brother, Dorian, and their sons, James and Mansur, as they carve out a new life for themselves on the African continent.

It's not the first time that African-born Smith has featured York in his epic novels. The city had a bit part in The Seventh Scroll, published several years ago. Smith spoke of his fondness for the city and North Yorkshire when he was guest of guest of honour at a literary lunch held at the Dean Court Hotel, York, last year.

The Blue Horizon, Smith's 29th adventure, is a sequel to the brilliant Monsoon and Birds Of Prey. It's a tale of love, hatred, betrayal and greed, which moves with the pace of a bull elephant, the ferocity of a wounded lion and with more twists and turns than a hunted gazelle. Smith must surely be the world's greatest living storyteller.

Stephen Coonts should have gone the whole hog and draped his new thriller in the Stars And Stripes and had a God Bless America badge pinned to the cover. Liberty (Orion, £12.99) is about preserving the American Dream, the Land Of The Free. You can almost hear the Star Spangled Banner as you turn each page.

It's set post September 11 and a Russian spy chief has a chilling message for Rear Admiral Jake Grafton.

A rogue Russian general has sold four nuclear warheads to a radical Islamic terrorist group, the Sword of Islam. It intends to smuggle them into the US then detonate them in a major city, triggering a holy war between the West and the Muslim world.

Grafton - featuring in his tenth adventure - is told by the US President to find the warheads "by all necessary means". He puts together a secret team to track down the terrorists and prevent Armageddon, but he soon realises that not all America's enemies come from the Middle East; many closer to home are willing to betray their country for money. Despite all the flag-waving and nationalistic fervour, Liberty is a compelling and entertaining read which moves at a relentless pace. Over the top, but well worth the cover price.

After a break to write the excellent one-off thrillers Hostage and Demolition Angel, Robert Crais has brought back private investigator Elvis Cole for The Last Detective (Orion, £12.99). While Vietnam veteran Cole is looking after Ben, the ten-year-old son of his attorney girlfriend, the child is kidnapped. Joining forces with his deadly partner, Joe Pike, Elvis frantically searches for Ben with the help of Detective Carol Starkey, the hero of Crais' Demolition Angel, and Ben's father, a rich industrialist.

It becomes clear that the kidnappers have targeted Ben to get at Cole - but why?

Crisply written with powerful plot and a heart-stopping climax, The Last Detective is a lesson in how private eye novels should be written. Long live Elvis!

Updated: 09:35 Wednesday, March 19, 2003