Sirocco

In Haynes’s high-octane sequel to 2019’s St. Nicolas Salvage & Wrecking, Michael Finnegan and Katalin Fiero, partners in the deceptively named St. Nicolas Salvage & Wreckage on Cyprus, pursue the mysterious leader of a terrorist group that has been setting off bombs throughout Europe to protest Western support of the government of the North African country of Alsharq. Finnigan, a former New York City detective, and Fiero, an ex-Spanish spy and assassin, wend their way through Europe in a serpentine plot that mixes explosive action with prolonged stretches of artful spycraft. In the end, the duo use their wiles to bring the villain to an adrenaline-fueled, bloody face-off in an abandoned Spanish castle. While Haynes skillfully manipulates the various thriller elements, he does so at the cost of his leads. Finnigan and Fiero have a nuanced, asexual relationship that serves the interests of their business partnership, but some readers will regret there’s nothing more to them as characters than that. Haynes delivers an enjoyable blend of high drama and foreign intrigue. [em]Agent: Janet Reid, JetReid Literary. (Jan.) [/em]