Pascual Rose is a reformed terrorist. After twenty unremarkable years in “retirement”, he is forced to return to an ignominious lifestyle by two nefarious strangers who suddenly enter his life. They make him an offer he cannot refuse. He is told he will be well compensated, but if he objects, the lives of his family could be compromised. Although he agrees to work for the two intruders, Lina and Felix, he also sets a plan in motion to save himself and his loved ones, Sara and Rafael, if it becomes necessary. He contacts people who have helped him in the past. Secretly, he also engages the help of Dris, a young street criminal who is devoted to him and knows how to avoid detection.
The job he is forced to undertake is never totally revealed to him, but he knows that he is setting up several quasi-legitimate businesses in which to funnel money. As the plans roll out, sometimes both he and the reader are unsure of what to expect, but the writing style is light and Pascual always has such a good sense of humor, that the reader’s interest remains piqued until the fog clears. Before long, however, as Pascual is compromised by other criminal elements wanting a piece of the lucrative business he is creating, it becomes quite clear he is in over his head. An international intrigue develops as villains from many countries like Germany, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Israel, Libya, and the United States are somehow involved in the threats to his safety. He is required to work for many criminal groups to maintain his and his family’s safety. His past has caught up with him, and he might face criminal charges if he does not do their bidding. As he got in deeper and deeper, this world of foreign intrigue seemed incredible, and yet also authentic, at the same time, which enhanced the enjoyment of the book.
As his handlers reel him in with one job at a time, on a “need to know” basis, he grows more and more uncertain about how this will end. When a stranger gets a message to him warning him that he is in even greater danger than he thought, as he is involved with far more sophisticated villains than he had imagined, he begins to set his escape plan in motion. Until the very end, though, it will be hard for the reader to guess what the outcome will be, and even then, the reader may wonder if another book is planned; does the author intend to write another ending to this story, is it “to be continued”? I hope so.
Near the end of the book, I found myself smiling, and I said out loud, to myself, I like this book. Then I chuckled because it was odd behavior, indeed. Still, this book entertained me for several days. I believe it would make a great audio book as well, if a good narrator was chosen. I liked the characters, regardless of whether they were good or evil. They were all well-defined, if sometimes like phantoms that came and went, at will, in and out of the life of Pascual Rose.
Written in an easy to read style, with short paragraphs and manageable chapters, it is easy to pick up, read for a while and then put down. One can return to it comfortably, without missing a beat. Each time I picked it up, it was like returning to an old friend that I enjoyed meeting. It was not necessary to have read the previous books about this colorful character, Pascual Rose, so just enjoy all that you read! I sure did!