Sirocco

"Finnegan and Fiero" as a couple remind one of Baldacci's "King and Maxwell". The setting is European, and their hunt for a secret terrorist organization takes them across the Mediterranean sea touching almost every country along the way. The story is funny, witting and engrossing. The twists and turns of the story unexpected. Nonstop action that starts and ends in a bang..

I think it is an excellent choice to bridge the time between two Baldaccis.

Sirocco is the second book in the St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking Series, and I have to say, it's great fun.

The duo behind St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking - a sham company - an ex-cop named Finnegan and an ex-spy assassin named Fiero, work out of Cyprus as international bounty hunters. One day, the Paris Station Chief for the CIA, Annie Pryor, and Hugo Llorente, from the Spanish Central Intelligence (who also trained Fiero to be a killer) come to the office in Cyprus to hire them to track down the leadership of a jihadist group that has taken responsibility for bombings in various countries. The group follows up each bombing by releasing a video, with the usual death to the infidels sort of thing.Pryor and Llorente have dark money slush funds, so they're paying an unspecified (tot he reader) but probably obscene amount of money, and promising that the two will have whatever support the can clandestinely give - a sort of blank check for a rollicking story that rolls through Switzerland, Spain, Germany, and France.

As Finnegan and Fiero dig around in the history of the bombings, a security company (think Blackwater) ALSO want to find the jihadis - and they want to get Finnegan and Fiero away from the trail because those two want to bring in the leader of the group for trial, but the security firm intends to kill him.

But as we learn through Finnegan and Fiero's investigation, not everything is as it seems, and the truth of the reason for the bombings eventually reveals itself. A truth that brings danger right to their doorstep. To go deeper into it would be much too spoilery - and would take the fun out of reading it.

This is a fun, fast read. Some of the things that are done are not particularly believable, but beyond a couple of instances, the action was plausible, and the banter between Finnegan and Fiero was, at times, quite witty.

A solid four out of five stars.

This is an entertaining international thriller starring a couple who are a bit reminiscent of Modesty Blaise and Willie Garvin - best friends and freelance do-gooders battling bad spies and corrupt corporations.

All of the genre elements are there: exotic locations, witty banter, twisting plot, colorful supporting cast, and bad guys intent on blowing up Europe. The story moves quickly, the action sequences are exciting, and the main characters are likable and definitely strong enough to carry a series.

I recommend this one and look forward to additional books in the series.

St. Nicholas Salvage and Wrecking—picks up right where the first one left off, with a pulsating sequel.
This time, ex-cop Michael Finnegan and his partner, Katlin Fiero, a Spanish aristocrat with a unique skill-set and elite training that’s made her into a world-class assassin, are chasing a mysterious and elusive terrorist group who’re responsible for a number of bombings in Europe that have taken dozens of innocent lives . . . including women and children . . . as well as a CIA Chief, her husband, and their toddler daughter.
After each blast, an unnamed Islamic cleric appears in an online video taking credit for the atrocity, while blaming the West, for supporting the government of Alsharq, a small North African country on the Mediterranean. Finnegan and Fiero are tasked with finding the elusive group of terrorists, capturing or killing the leader and stopping the bombings. But the St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking crew aren’t the only ones trying to put the terrorists out of business. A ruthless American private contracting firm is also on the hunt, with a nearly unlimited budget and resources . . . plus a-take-no prisoners philosophy. Add in a few spies, a couple of gangsters and the director of Spain’s National Intelligence Service and the plot gets more byzantine with every chapter as it works its way toward a rousing conclusion at a Spanish fortress that will leave readers wondering if anyone will live to tell the tale. If you crave action, adventure and heroes to cheer for, you won’t want to miss the adventures of Fiero, Finnegan, and the rest of St. Nicholas Salvage & Wrecking Crew!

Katalin Fiero and Michael Finnigan are an unusual pair - a soldier/spy/assassin and a cop/US Marshal who both tired of taking orders from others and decided to team up and form their own outfit. International bounty hunters, they specialise in bringing in criminals for trial at the International Court of Justice who the authorities have given up on catching. Now, they’ve been approached for an off-the-books operation by two different intelligence agencies - the CIA, and Katalin’s former Spanish bosses. Only, the deeper they dig, the more it becomes apparent that the case isn’t what it appears on the surface. And the terrorists they are trying to track down might not be the only ones who want Katalin and Michael dead.

What fascinated me most about this story was the dynamic between Fiero and Finnigan. There’s absolutely no sexual tension between them at all. They’re more like brother and sister, teasing each other constantly. Finnigan even remarks laughingly that Fiero going into a seedy bar would have every man in there trying to pick her up. But neither do they have sexual chemistry with anyone else - they both seem almost asexual, and I actually really like it. It’s a long way removed from the Bond-style action hero with a new love interest to seduce in every new location. Fiero in particular is obviously styled as a femme fatale, but deliberately chooses not to use her feminine wiles, actively showing distaste for the tactic even while enjoying her femininity.

There’s a danger that Fiero could seem something of a Mary-Sue, with her apparently unbeatable skills and beauty, but she’s so very flawed emotionally it doesn’t come off like that at all. I was fascinated by her in particular; Finnigan is more of a predictable character but Katalin is the ultimate wild card. They work superbly as a pair, their skills complementary, and they are also both smart enough to recruit expert help when they need it - I was delighted and intrigued by several of the side characters, particularly Sally Blue - I’d read 5 books about Sally and her team of black hats!

I did find a few instances of clumsy phrasing, but since this is an ARC, I’d assume they’ll be polished out by final publication. Though this is the second book in a series about Fiero and Finnigan, I don’t think I missed all that much by jumping in here; they both get pretty solid introductions and the backstory is sprinkled in generously so we know who they are. I may have to go back and read book 1 to get the full story of how they met, though! In fact, I suspect Dana Haynes’ entire backlist is going on my must-read list, because this is a genuinely excellent action-adventure story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I’ll be eagerly looking out for the next installment.