About the Author

Dan Fesperman is a journalist for The Baltimore Sun and served in its Berlin bureau, covering Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, and Serbia during their civil conflicts. He won the 1999 John Creasey Memorial Dagger Award for Lie in the Dark. A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, he grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and now lives with his family in Baltimore, Maryland.

Reviews

WINNER OF THE IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER AWARD

“Deft and gripping. . . . Impeccably written and ably plotted. . . . The action is more or less nonstop.” —The New York Times Books Review

“A literary thriller with historical perspective. . . . A relentlessly crackling mystery and adventure tale. . . Fesperman’s prose is vivid, almost breakneck in pace. . . . His descriptions of people and places are crisp, precise and memorable.” —The Baltimore Sun

“A modern-day Odyssey that leads its hero through the harrowing Kafkaesque lanscapes of postwar Bosnia and post-Cold War Europe . . . A literary detective novel that thrills as much as it evokes admiration for the prose.” —The Charlotte Observer

"A keep-'em-guessing plot, littered with hidden treasures, international intrigue, lusty old Croatian thugs, and late-night crypt openings." —Entertainment Weekly

“A wonderful book. . . . Timely, thoughtful and vividly written.” —The Seattle Times

“A new standard for war-based thrillers.” —The Los Angeles Times

“A dark and morally complex novel.” —The Daily Telegraph

“A haunting sense of place and enough twists and turns to make the reader giddy. . . . This is not an ordinary thriller and this is enforced by the precision and the quality of the writing. Fesperman’s . . . first-hand experience of war reporting and exhaustive research shine through.” —The Birmingham Post

“[An] ambitious, morally complex thriller.” —The Observer

“Fesperman tells his atmospheric tale with great elegance . . . [and] a sharp analytical curiosity.” —The Guardian

“[A] fine follow-up to the equally fine Lie in the Dark.” —The Orlando Sentinel

“A well-paced tale of deceit, manipulation and double-crossing.” —The Spectator

Cuban American Esmeralda Navarro Montoya can't remember a time when she didn't know about the family business, La Estrella-the only Cuban-owned casino in pre-Castro Havana. Esmeralda chalked up her parents' talk of the casino as nostalgia until her mother reveals a dream that predicts the return of La Estrella to the family; the only catch is that all five Navarro children need to be together. When it seems that her sister has disappeared, Esmeralda launches an investigation that soon turns deadly. It's clear that Esmeralda will need all the luck she can get if she and her sister want to live long enough to see La Estrella again. Garcia-Aguilera's eighth novel (after One Hot Summer) will appeal to a broader readership than just the fans of her "Lupe Solano" mystery series; with romance, danger, and the history of the Navarro family, there's something for everyone. While the plot is occasionally far-fetched and the conclusion a bit too hasty, the engaging story of Esmeralda's search for her sister ends on a deliciously open-ended note, sure to have readers hoping for another book. Recommended for all public libraries.-Amy Brozio-Andrews, Albany P.L., NY Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

WINNER OF THE IAN FLEMING STEEL DAGGER AWARD

"Deft and gripping. . . . Impeccably written and ably plotted. . . . The action is more or less nonstop." -The New York Times Books Review

"A literary thriller with historical perspective. . . . A relentlessly crackling mystery and adventure tale. . . Fesperman's prose is vivid, almost breakneck in pace. . . . His descriptions of people and places are crisp, precise and memorable." -The Baltimore Sun

"A modern-day Odyssey that leads its hero through the harrowing Kafkaesque lanscapes of postwar Bosnia and post-Cold War Europe . . . A literary detective novel that thrills as much as it evokes admiration for the prose." -The Charlotte Observer

"A keep-'em-guessing plot, littered with hidden treasures, international intrigue, lusty old Croatian thugs, and late-night crypt openings." -Entertainment Weekly

"A wonderful book. . . . Timely, thoughtful and vividly written." -The Seattle Times

"A new standard for war-based thrillers." -The Los Angeles Times

"A dark and morally complex novel." -The Daily Telegraph

"A haunting sense of place and enough twists and turns to make the reader giddy. . . . This is not an ordinary thriller and this is enforced by the precision and the quality of the writing. Fesperman's . . . first-hand experience of war reporting and exhaustive research shine through." -The Birmingham Post

"[An] ambitious, morally complex thriller." -The Observer

"Fesperman tells his atmospheric tale with great elegance . . . [and] a sharp analytical curiosity." -The Guardian

"[A] fine follow-up to the equally fine Lie in the Dark." -The Orlando Sentinel

"A well-paced tale of deceit, manipulation and double-crossing." -The Spectator