Viking Bay: A Kay Hamilton Novel

The risky exploits that got Kay Hamilton fired from the DEA catch the eye of the mysterious Callahan Group, led by rumpled Thomas Callahan, in Lawson’s well-paced follow-up to 2013’s Rosarito Beach. Lured by a generous salary, Kay helps the Callahan Group broker a deal for U.S. access to lithium deposits, negotiating with an Afghan governor and his beautiful, liberal-minded daughter. But when the deal goes explosively wrong, Kay begins trawling the murky underbelly of the Callahan Group to find out who betrayed them, putting herself and her teenage daughter at risk. Lawson’s knowledge from a career as a senior executive for the U.S. Navy gives muscle to a plot bound by the obscure intentions and covert operations of intelligence work, though the finale reveals the traitor’s rather weak motivations. Kay’s tendency to act before she thinks keeps the plot whizzing along. Some readers may see her as pure male fantasy: a curvy blonde who’s gutsy, irresistible, and sexually free. Agent: David Gernert, Gernert Company. (Jan.)