4.0 out of 5 stars -- Follow the money...
This 5th in the series has several plot lines but the main story has to do with journalist Luca Terracini's interest in the billions of dollars that have vanished from Iraqi banks. Luca is a foreign correspondent working in Baghdad as US soldiers are pulling out. The area is still a war zone and reconstruction is barely more than a promise. Constant fear of bombs and stray bullets remind Luca that death lurks everywhere and "grudges are a national sport in Iraq." When he discovers that 18 banks have been robbed in the last year, Luca becomes suspicious and begins the investigation that eventually brings him into contact with retired London inspector Vincent Ruiz.
With multidimensional characters and nonstop action, the narrative shifts between places and point of view as the complex scheme is revealed at just the right pace. Another of this author's books that kept me glued to the pages and has me addicted to the series. This, however, is my least favorite of the ones I've read so far. It was not as focused on psychology and less a thriller than his others --the subject just was not as compelling to me. On to #6.
This 5th in the series has several plot lines but the main story has to do with journalist Luca Terracini's interest in the billions of dollars that have vanished from Iraqi banks. Luca is a foreign correspondent working in Baghdad as US soldiers are pulling out. The area is still a war zone and reconstruction is barely more than a promise. Constant fear of bombs and stray bullets remind Luca that death lurks everywhere and "grudges are a national sport in Iraq." When he discovers that 18 banks have been robbed in the last year, Luca becomes suspicious and begins the investigation that eventually brings him into contact with retired London inspector Vincent Ruiz.
With multidimensional characters and nonstop action, the narrative shifts between places and point of view as the complex scheme is revealed at just the right pace. Another of this author's books that kept me glued to the pages and has me addicted to the series. This, however, is my least favorite of the ones I've read so far. It was not as focused on psychology and less a thriller than his others --the subject just was not as compelling to me. On to #6.
