The Convert’s Song Sebastian Rotella

Published by Mulholland Books,
18 December 2015.
ISBN: 978-1-444-78554-8

South America, and Valentine Pescatore has started a new life as a PI – until a chance encounter with his long-lost friend, Raymond, as charming and dangerous as ever ...

This fast-moving terrorist thriller would make a wonderful film. Pescatore is a sympathetic James Bond, with a more enlightened attitude towards women – particularly his French co-investigator, Belhaj – and a more thoughtful approach to the world problem that is modern terrorism. His friend Raymond is also vividly drawn: the charm comes across, but also the immorality and selfishness. The bond between them and Valentine’s difficulty in accepting his links to global terrorism is a strong strand in the book; I enjoyed the mixture of human emotions and big-scale scenes. The action is non-stop, moving us from Buenos Aires to Paris and Baghdad, with a breathless series of explosions, chases, interrogations and fights. The political background is particularly well drawn – Rotella’s background as an award-wining journalist gives it authenticity.

An action-filled terrorist novel with credible background detail. It can be read as a stand-alone, but the events of the previous novel are still important to Valentine, so you might like to begin with that one, Triple Crossing.

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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor

Sebastian Rotella was born in Chicago. He is a graduate of the University of Michigan and studied at the University of Barcelona. He speaks Spanish, French and Italian. He

is an award-winning author, foreign correspondent and investigative journalist. His first novel, Triple Crossing, was named favorite debut crime novel and favorite action thriller of 2011 by the New York Times Sunday Book Review. He previously worked at the Los Angeles Times, serving as bureau chief in Paris and Buenos Aires and as correspondent at the Mexican border. His reporting from the Mexican border inspired two songs on Bruce Springsteen's album The Ghost of Tom Joad in 1995.

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  Marsali also does a regular monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.