Once a Thief

In Edgar finalist Reich’s heart-pounding fourth outing for freelance London spy Simon Riske (after 2020’s The Palace), Riske’s talent for restoring vintage Ferraris puts him in harm’s way. The 1963 Ferrari that his client just sold for $102 million didn’t have the original gearbox, and the buyer’s representative, Sylvie Bettencourt, demands that Riske present her with the gearbox or be charged a $10 million fee with the violent “or else” supplied by her thuggish assistant. A consultation with a friend at Lloyd’s of London reveals that Bettencourt has a reputation for buying up valuable items, from art to real estate, with money that’s unlikely to be legitimate. Riske has little choice but to try to recover the gearbox. Meanwhile, a bank manager in Switzerland has been killed with a car bomb, and his daughter, Anna Bildt, sets out to find his killer. Some scenic locales, including Mediterranean islands, serve as backdrops to the linked quests of Riske and Bildt. Reich combines great action with surprises readers won’t see coming. One doesn’t have to care much about cars or high finance to enjoy this cinematic thriller. Agent: Richard Pine, Inkwell Management. (Apr.)