Shadow of the Rock

British author Mogford’s intriguing debut, the first in a new series set in Gibraltar and Morocco, introduces Spike Sanguinetti, a tax lawyer turned detective. One night in Gibraltar’s Old Town, Spike runs into an old school friend, Sephardic Jew Solomon Hassan, who needs his help. Spike reluctantly agrees to represent Solomon in fighting extradition to Morocco, where Solomon is wanted for the murder of Esperanza Castillo, the tattooed, multipierced, promiscuous stepdaughter of Ángel Castillo, cofounder of a new solar energy venture that promises billions of euros in potential revenues. In Morocco, Spike meets Insp. Hakim Eldrassi of the Tangiers police, who’s confident Solomon is guilty, but Spike knows Solomon is incapable of murder. Spike later discovers that the key to the crime may lie with Zahra, a Bedouin waitress at the last place Esperanza was seen alive. Fans of mysteries set in exotic locales are in for a treat. Agent: Greene & Heaton Ltd. (Aug.)