Dr. Erin Baker, ex-CIA operative, is content teaching at a
local Miami college and taking care of her sister and
niece. Then she gets two unexpected visitors: Alec Donovan,
an FBI agent she became involved with professionally and
personally during her last assignment, and Bill Jensen, who
has a new mission for her -- he wants her in Cuba. An
operative, Erin's mentor, is missing after reporting
suspicious activity at an international aid camp. That's
something any trained agent could handle, but Erin
discovers she has a ready-made cover. Her father, who
abandoned the family years ago, is the head doctor at the
camp.
From the time Erin arrives, posing as a volunteer teacher,
she sees things are not as they should be at the camp and
tries to focus on her mission while becoming acquainted
with the stranger who's her father. Meanwhile, Alec, forced
to watch from a distance, insinuates himself in the
investigation on the U.S. side, determined to support Erin
in any way he can. But as Erin gets closer to the truth,
she finds that Cuba has many secrets that some people will
go to great lengths -- even murder -- to protect.
This is an entertaining thriller with a likable heroine who
may remind readers of Sydney Bristow in Alias. She
must not only deal with a dangerous mission, basically on
her own, but face some serious personal issues at the same
time. The setting of Cuba provides an exotic, mysterious
backdrop for the action. I would have liked to see Alec
have more time with Erin -- this is definitely
more "suspense" than "romantic suspense," but the story
held my interest from a strong opening to a satisfying
finish. (This is the second book featuring Erin and Alec.
The first one, OUT OF REACH, isn't necessary to read before
this one, but would give some good background on Erin's
previous experience with the CIA and her introduction to
Alec.)
Though Erin Baker has left the CIA, the people who once
directed her career tap her to penetrate a medical aid group
that may be hiding a sinister purpose. In Cuba, the
organization’s head doctor is Emilio Diaz, Erin’s estranged
father. Erin has the skills and a perfect cover to penetrate
Castro’s shadow world. She also has another reason to take
the assignment. An ex-mentor, previously on the case, has
vanished somewhere in Cuba.
Full of emotional landmines, this mission comes at a time
when Erin’s life is at a crossroads. Alec Donovan, a
colleague at the FBI, is pushing for more than friendship,
and he wants Erin out of the Agency’s clutches. But Erin is
already in–and though wanting to trust her charismatic
father, she suspects that a dark plot is unfolding. Not
knowing whom to trust or whom to believe, Erin fights her
way deeper undercover until she is ultimately forced to make
life-and-death decisions that will affect nations around the
world.
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