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THE RELUCTANT MATADOR
by Mark Pryor
Seventh Street Books, June 2015
$15.95
ISBN: 1633880028


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Mark Pryor has expanded geographically in this series starring Hugo Marston, chief of security for the American Embassy in Paris. In the fourth in the series and a prequel, THE BUTTON MAN, Pryor placed Hugo in London, and in his most recent fifth in the series, THE RELUCTANT MATADOR, Hugo starts out in Paris but spends most of the book in Barcelona. Since one of Pryor's strengths is his ability to transport the reader to Hugo's surroundings, this change of scenery is keeping the series fresh. In THE RELUCTANT MATADOR, the reader is right there on the streets and in the restaurants of Barcelona with Hugo, being treated to something of a travelogue along with the compelling plot.

As the book begins, Hugo is set to meet with his friend's daughter, Amy, in an American breakfast place in Paris. When Amy doesn't show up, Hugo notifies her father, who asks him to search for and find the nineteen-year-old who is in Paris on her own attempting to start a modeling career. Hugo discovers that Amy was supporting herself dancing at a "gentleman's club"and that one of the "gentlemen" has invited her to Spain to increase her odds of making it in the modeling business. The chase is on, as Hugo and his CIA sidekick, Tom Green, take off for Barcelona to rescue her, if she does in fact need rescuing. Hugo's on-again off-again girlfriend, the wealthy journalist Claudia, follows to help in whatever way she can.

Immediately upon arriving in Barcelona, Hugo and Tom happen upon a dead body in the office of the man who had invited Amy to Spain. That they discover this murder while breaking and entering puts them in the path of an old colleague who is now a Spanish Chief Inspector. Tom, not unexpectedly, keeps rubbing the officials the wrong way, so Claudia ends up babysitting him during the course of the investigation, while Hugo becomes an integral part of solving the murder and attempting to find Amy.

When Hugo and the Spanish police find another body, seemingly with no ties to the first but killed in a similar manner, it begins to look as though organ harvesting may be a motive. Hugo doesn't believe it, though, and continues to search for a connection between the victims. During the investigation, while he is occupied in one arena while Claudia is occupied in another, Hugo faces temptation from several directions. The female police officer with whom he is working appears to be interested, and one of the suspects is a femme fatale who is definitely interested. Throughout the book, Hugo reminisces about his first wife, his first love, who died tragically before Hugo even really got to know her well. The women he encounters in Spain cause him to reflect on his long ago relationship as well as on his future with Claudia.

The plot comes to a close with a thrilling car and plane chase after the murderer and human trafficker at the center of Amy's abduction. Pryor's writing once again transports the reader, making it impossible to be interrupted for about the last thirty pages. When you get toward the end of the book, make sure you have time to read those last chapters before you have to do something else, or that something else won't get done!

This fifth in the series could be read without reading the previous four, but having read those earlier books will provide a depth of perspective on Hugo's personal reflections during the book. But if you do start here, you'll have the additional pleasure of knowing that there are four other great books in the series to go back to.

§ Sharon Mensing is the Head of School of Emerald Mountain School, an independent school in the mountains of Colorado, where she lives, reads, and enjoys the outdoors.

Reviewed by Christine Zibas, June 2015

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