This is Rucka’s latest book in the Atticus Kodiak story arc that started with Finder, and in my opinion it’s the best of the series so far.
The book opens with Kodiak and Alena Ciskova, the assassin from Critical Space, living in hiding in Kobuleti, a small town on the Black Sea. When their neighbor’s family is killed, and the neighbor’s 14-year-old daughter abducted, Kodiak begins to try to figure out what happened to her.
Mayhem ensues, along with visits to Amsterdam, Turkey, and Las Vegas (among others).
Rucka isn’t subtle. The theme of this book—the trafficking and sexual exploitation of young girls – makes for supremely unpleasant reading. Kodiak is forced to confront some despicable people, and this gives Rucka the opportunity to delve into some ends-justify-the-means internal dialogue that helped flesh out Kodiak’s character beyond that of a bodyguard-turned-reluctant-assassin.
Highly recommended.
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