Sight Unseen

At the start of British author Hurley’s meandering sequel to Curtain Call, London-based actress Enora Andressen receives a hysterical call from her 18-year-old son, Malo. He tells her that his girlfriend Clemenza, the daughter of “a very wealthy Colombian business tycoon,” has been kidnapped, and Malo has been told to come up with $1 million in a few days if he wants to see Clemenza again. This revelation is followed by a long, slow trek through Enora’s backstory—illegitimate son, disintegrating first marriage, menacingly proprietorial and mega-wealthy former lover, brain cancer surgery, and much more—thus diminishing any storytelling urgency. Enora calls Hayden Prentice, “one-time drug baron” and Malo’s father, who in turn calls Clemenza’s father, who flies in from Bogotá ready to deal with the kidnappers. Most of the action sequences are reported to Enora, whose involvement consists mainly of careening from one absurd situation to another. This is for fans of British soap opera. It won’t satisfy readers looking for thrills or a convincing and sympathetic female protagonist. Agent: Oli Munson, A.M. Heath (U.K.). (Nov.)