Shoreline: A Nora Khalil Novel

Baugh’s fast-paced, intricately plotted sequel to 2015’s Quicksand takes FBI special agent Nora Khalil, a Muslim of Egyptian heritage, from her native Philadelphia to a posting in Erie, Penn., where she gets to know her colleagues and neighbors and adjusts to a generally tedious routine—until the Roar on the Shore, Erie’s annual celebration of biker culture. A bank robbery and murder perpetrated by men on motorcycles kick off what is soon identified as the first wave of a much larger plan involving homegrown terrorists intent on spreading white supremacist ideology. Their rhetoric echoes contemporary headlines: make America great again, build a wall, deport all illegal immigrants. In response, an FBI agent comments, “The absurd is no longer absurd when you have weapons and followers.” Nora has a boyfriend, FBI agent Ray Calder, but those expecting much romance in this topical thriller with its resourceful, courageous, and athletic heroine may be disappointed. [em]Agent: Loretta A. Barrett, Loretta Barrett Books. (July) [/em]