DEATH ECHO – Elizabeth Lowell
St. Kilda Consulting , Book 4
Avon Books
February 2011
Romantic Suspense

Northern Washington State and Canada's Coastal Waters

Emma Cross became disillusioned with the political climate within the CIA, left and went to work for a private security agency, St. Kilda Consulting. She was investigating theft of luxury yachts when contacted by her boss to go to Washington state where the forty-one foot yacht, the Blackbird, is scheduled to be offloaded from a container ship. Intelligence reports that the Blackbird, identical to an earlier ship, the Black Swan (whereabouts unknown), is going to be used by terrorists to hold a U.S. city hostage. Whether the threat will be chemical, biological, or radioactive is not known, but time runs out in seven days.

Meanwhile, MacKenzie Durand, another burnt out patriot, boards the container ship arriving from Singapore. Mac's an ex-soldier whose whole unit but for himself was wiped out by bad intelligence. An experienced water man, Mac returned to his native Puget Sound area, from where he hires out as a transit captain. He's been employed by a couple of boyhood friends, who own the Blue Water Marine Group, to deliver the Blackbird to her new owner once she's been outfitted.

Emma contrives to meet Mac at the docks and, using her physical charms, persuades him to let her aboard. As they take each other's measure, they are both impressed. Mac is skeptical, and maybe paranoid; he doesn't buy Emma's low IQ eye-candy routine, but comes to believe she might just be worth the risk. Mac's checked out by Emma's boss at St. Kilda's, and she's told to recruit Mac. What lies ahead for these two involves danger for themselves and a lot of innocent people if they fail. Their wits, their bravery, and their skills are to be sorely tried. Who are the bad guys in this drama? It's not always easy to tell, for besides a number of all-out villains, there are homeland egos, rivalries, and ambitions flourishing behind the scenes.

DEATH ECHO is the first of this series I've read, so I'm not familiar with the St. Kilda personnel and other minor characters, and the plot is also complex with various foreign and U.S. agencies involved. These things, added to the frequent changes of scene and points of view, kept me from becoming involved with Emma and Mac during the first part of the novel. But once more focus was put on them and the action picked up pace, the tale fully engaged my interest. While some readers might cavil at all the nautical lore, I enjoyed it, especially when it involved Mac teaching Emma. Their banter is amusing, and they are both admirable characters impossible not to like. In total, DEATH ECHO is a rewarding read.

Jane Bowers