Persona

Blending celebrity and international diplomacy in a near-future Paris, Valentine (The Girls at the Kingfisher Club) crafts an intimate thriller that unmasks the players in the game. Suyana Sapacki, the United Amazonian Rainforest Confederation (UARC) representative to the International Assembly (IA), survives an assassination attempt with the aid of nascent paparazzi Daniel Park. Suyana goes underground with her allies in an eco-terrorist cell, Daniel in tow, while trying to discover the identity of her attackers—maybe UARC friend, maybe IA foe. Daniel is caught between loyalty to Suyana and the need to sell his photos to establish a news career. Through flashbacks, Valentine brings a measure of depth to her protagonists as well as their assorted colleagues and companions, all of whom are portrayed with a humorous, satiric edge (“Yes, nothing raises your social stock like being ignored by your betters”). Suyana and Daniel’s growth and increasing resilience gradually undermine the suspense, even as they earn the reader’s respect. (Mar.)