Crown
Featuring: Richard Burbank; Vanessa Michael Munroe; Francisco Beyard
320 pages ISBN: 0307717097 EAN: 9780307717092 Kindle: B004IK8PWS Hardcover / e-Book Add to Wish List
THE INFORMATIONIST starts off with a bang, a very clever
one - and does not let up until the very last sentence of
the story.
One of the first big surprises was the fact that the author
was female. I don't know why, but every time I read this
type of book, one that is incredibly focused on the minute
details and processes, in this case on the importance (and
the availability of information) and how to gather it, I
always think that a male author is writing the storyline.
Surprise! surprise! this is not the case here. In fact,
while, of course, there are a few interesting male
characters, the lead character is a women (who can and does
dress as a man when necessary).
Which brings me to my second surprise. Vanessa "Michael"
Munroe - my new favorite lead character in a book. This
women is sharp, intelligent, broken and damaged; yet, at
the same time, manages to make it all work somehow,
creating a person that is engaging as well as entertaining.
It is obvious that the author spent considerable amounts of
time fleshing out the Vanessa character and it works
extremely well here - propelling the storyline forward, all
the while keeping an air of mystery that will not be
revealed until the end.
Vanessa has seen a lot of horrible things, which is one of
the reasons she has retreated into her own world - doing
her own thing, which involves collecting a huge volume of
information on a person and/or situation she has
been "hired" to "deal with." Vanessa's strength is her
ability to source out all of the information that is
available out there and then using this knowledge to
completely immerse herself in the situation she has been
asked to "look into" or "deal with," whatever that may be.
Armed with this information, there is nothing Vanessa
cannot handle - until one very specific request comes her
way, forcing her to return to her buried past in Central
Africa. Will this be the case that finally destroys her?
This book is a completely wild ride with an ending that I
never saw coming (the best kind). If you are looking for a
smart, entertaining, and educational read that will keep you
wanting to read "just one more page," then this is the
perfect book for you - just be warned - you may end up
reading deep into the night and forgetting that you
actually have to get up the next morning (I did!).
Vanessa “Michael” Munroe deals in information—expensive
information—working for corporations, heads of state,
private clients, and anyone else who can pay for her unique
brand of expertise. Born to missionary parents in lawless
central Africa, Munroe took up with an infamous gunrunner
and his mercenary crew when she was just fourteen. As his
protégé, she earned the respect of the jungle's most
dangerous men, cultivating her own reputation for years
until something sent her running. After almost a decade
building a new life and lucrative career from her home base
in Dallas, she's never looked back.
Until now.
A Texas oil billionaire has hired her to find his daughter
who vanished in Africa four years ago. It’s not her usual
line of work, but she can’t resist the challenge. Pulled
deep into the mystery of the missing girl, Munroe finds
herself back in the lands of her childhood, betrayed, cut
off from civilization, and left for dead. If she has any
hope of escaping the jungle and the demons that drive her,
she must come face-to-face with the past that she’s tried
for so long to forget.
Gripping, ingenious, and impeccably paced, The
Informationist marks the arrival or a thrilling new talent.