Capital Punishment

Set in London, this energetic, thoughtful first in a new series from Gold Dagger Award–winner Wilson (A Small Death in Lisbon) introduces Charles Boxer, a former cop turned private security professional specializing in kidnapping. When 25-year-old Alyshia D’Cruz, the daughter of a self-made Indian billionaire, is kidnapped after an evening out with her co-workers, Boxer is charged with getting Alyshia back alive. The kidnapper, who insists that the crime “is not about money,” urges the family not to involve the press or the police. That a lot more than money, or Alyshia’s safety, is at stake becomes clear as the plot slowly, impressively expands to include an enormous cast of characters and a broad array of themes—global finance, the inequality of wealth, Islamic fundamentalism, counterterrorism. While at times the story’s immensity threatens to overwhelm the appealing Boxer, who is supremely competent yet reassuringly flawed, fans of intelligent thrillers will eagerly await the next installment. Agent: Anthony Sheil, Aitken Alexander Associates (U.K.). (Mar.)