John Shannon is an ex-cop who has been convicted of killing of a DEA officer. When he’s freed on a technicality, he returns to NYC hoping to find the person who framed him. But his homecoming is not a happy one. He’s arrested as soon as he’s released. Then his son is kidnapped. Not one to give himself over to a system that he feels has failed him, he sets out to find his son and tie the pieces together that landed him in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. This is a real page-turner introducing a character that you’ll want to read more about as the series unfolds.
While this is not a sequel to Paris Requiem, it features the Comtess de Landois, Marguerite from that book. She is called home to the family estate by her husband who tells her that he plans to adopt an abandoned child that he has found. He also wishes that she resume her wifely duties. The smart and worldly Marguerite has no intention of giving up the life she has enjoyed in Paris, so she sets out to find the child’s true parentage. She becomes embroiled in murder, kidnapping and incest. Where does the Catholic Church fit in all this? Marguerite is a strong intelligent woman with a good detective’s instincts. I hope there will be more books about her adventures.
Pop Quiz: As Richard Hannay runs for his life through the hills and dales of England, he is running because he is (a) a murderer, (b) a car thief, (c) a liar and identity-stealing impostor, or (d) a misunderstood patriot trying to help his country. You'll find evidence for many of these options in John Buchan's thrilling novel The Thirty-Nine Steps as you encounter a vast international conspiracy intent on starting World War I, intrigue, assassination, and the verdant English countryside that is home to both loyal citizens and scurrilous spies alike. The Thirty-Nine Steps is a gripping read, a book that will leave you ready for more adventures with its intrepid hero, Richard Hannay.
