THE FREEDOM BROKER

A fast-moving thriller featuring kidnapped oil tycoon Christos Paris and his kidnap-negotiator daughter, Thea. She’s tough. She’s smart. She’s diabetic.

Greek mogul Christos is snatched from his yacht, The Aphrodite, on Christmas Day, his name day, and his crew lies dead in pools of blood. Luckily, Thea’s job at London-based Quantum International Security (QSI) is hostage rescue. She's a woman of “pure steel” in an “action-oriented domain.” American Special Agent Gabrielle Farrah gets involved, because the Christos name is “synonymous with the oil that fueled America.” There are no ransom demands, only cryptic messages in Latin. QSI has no idea who's holding Christos, but maybe it’s the Islamic State group. Meanwhile, Nikos Paris hates his father, who he feels didn’t do enough to rescue him 20 years ago when at age 12 he’d been kidnapped by a warlord. The family had been living in the (fictional) African nation of Kanzi, where for more than nine months Nikos’ captors had forced him to become a murderous child soldier. Now, in addition to being the well-known son of a rich man, Nikos is also Ares, an arms dealer and “self-proclaimed God of War,” though only a few know about his alter ego. He “could order someone’s death with a casual whisper,” but don’t expect him to help in the search for Dad. And Helena Paris has little time to enjoy being Christos’ fifth wife, because her limo explodes with her in it. “Bodies kept accumulating" around Thea, oh yes they surely did. The action largely takes place in Africa and is relentless, leaving just enough time for one vivid airborne sex scene. Thea tries to lead a prime minister through a ventilation system even as she fears she won’t get her insulin dose in time. But the best scene—and who cares if it’s plausible—involves bungee jumping over the Zambezi River. It’s worth the price of the book.

A spectacular start for what promises be a great Thea Paris series.