A successful but overstressed engineering executive
turned contented neophyte carpenter suddenly finds his two worlds
about to collide.
For 20 years, Sam Acquillo (Head Wounds,
2008, etc.) had been a golden boy at Consolidated Global Energies,
an authentic fast-tracker until the day he left. It had been
an unpleasant parting orchestrated largely by George Donovan,
the Chairman of the Board. But that’s evidently ancient history for
Donovan because now he needs things from Sam. He needs Sam’s
first-class brain, his famous ability to commit wholeheartedly
to a task and, above all, his discretion. In particular, he needs
Sam to find Iku Kinjo, his lover. Promised a packet of money
for a successful outcome, Sam hires on. Though he’d known
Iku only briefly as a Con Globe consultant, he recalls her vividly.
Brilliant, ambitious and remarkably beautiful, Iku Kinjo would
strike no one as the kind of young woman to go missing without
sufficient cause. Sam’s right to think so, of course, but
in the end that mysterious cause proves infinitely more complicated
and murderous than he imagined.
An appealing hero, who might be even more appealing
if he cut back on the one-liners next time, and a colorful entourage
that includes endearing Eddie, the anti-Marley dog, make for
a lively and entertaining mix.
