Dr. Molly Solvent is in Athens, Greece to give a speech at the G20 Archeology and Antiquities meetings. But she has another mission as well. An acquaintance from the US State Department asks Molly to deliver a message to the Russian Antiquities Minister, who is also at this meeting. It's a simple task: read one of two messages in one of the envelopes handed to Molly, and then give Dr. Doubrov the message. If only it had turned out that way.

David Church is also at the same cocktail party where Molly meets Dr. Doubrov. David's job here is bodyguard to a well-known professor who is attending the meetings. David and Molly met briefly in Iraq a year ago. As Molly greets Dr. Doubrov and attempts to hand off the envelope, a shot is fired and the doctor is killed. David witnesses the scene, leaves his charge in the hands of another bodyguard and grabs Molly. The second shot shatters a glass vase and leaves glass shards in Molly's back.

After they leave the scene and get Molly's back patched up, a man posing as a Russian SVR (former KGB) visits Molly's room, demanding she give him something that he insists Dr. Doubrov handed Molly. She pretends not to know what the Russian wants. Later that day, they see on CNN News that there is a warrant out from the Greek government for Molly and David's arrest. They leave the hotel, running for their lives. All roads are blocked. Can they get out of Greece unscathed? How did this simple espionage op go so wrong?

BLOWBACK is a fast-paced, riveting military romance with lots of steamy sex. Molly and David waste no time acting on a strong attraction from their first encounter in Iraq. Both are solid, believable characters surrounded by a number of supporting characters who are a bit questionable at best. You'll feel as though you are running through the streets of Athens with Molly and David, visiting several ancient structures in the process. It's hard to tell who the good guys are or which ones are trying to out-maneuver the others. Is the United States trying to start a war with Russia? Emmy Curtis pens another great adventure in her Alpha Ops series. At first I felt it might have helped to read the first three novellas, but Ms. Curtis interjects snippets of information from previous books to help you along the way.