The Atlantis Gene

Warner, the genetic researcher studying autism, personifies the staid academic-turned-action hero. Her many narrow escapes, her gun-wielding authority, and even her balloon piloting skills qualify her as Vale’s equal in action heroics. Her elevation to warrior status evolves over time, however. When she and Vale are first separated after he rescues her from Indonesian police custody, she balks at handling a gun. However, by the time she pulls a wounded Vale to safety from the burning Immari facility, she orders two Immari security agents around like an old pro.

Through Warner’s character, Riddle proves that even someone more accustomed to crunching numbers and analyzing data can face death head-on with valor. All of Warner’s derring-do is in service of a single goal, however: rescuing the two boys in her charge, and this aspect of her character reflects Warner’s maternal side. To give her globe-trotting escapades narrative justification, Warner’s backstory includes a traumatic miscarriage. Having lost one child, Warner is hell-bent on saving these other two.

A final layer of her character is that she is the daughter of Patrick Pierce, though this reveal comes late in the novel. Riddle does not take the time to explore the psychological ramifications of such a discovery, apart from a very brief reunion with her father that is cut short by two ticking time bombs.