Shadow of the Rock

May 14, 2012
British author Mogford’s intriguing debut, the first in a new series set in Gibraltar and Morocco, introduces Spike Sanguinetti, a tax lawyer turned detective. One night in Gibraltar’s Old Town, Spike runs into an old school friend, Sephardic Jew Solomon Hassan, who needs his help. Spike reluctantly agrees to represent Solomon in fighting extradition to Morocco, where Solomon is wanted for the murder of Esperanza Castillo, the tattooed, multipierced, promiscuous stepdaughter of Ángel Castillo, cofounder of a new solar energy venture that promises billions of euros in potential revenues. In Morocco, Spike meets Insp. Hakim Eldrassi of the Tangiers police, who’s confident Solomon is guilty, but Spike knows Solomon is incapable of murder. Spike later discovers that the key to the crime may lie with Zahra, a Bedouin waitress at the last place Esperanza was seen alive. Fans of mysteries set in exotic locales are in for a treat. Agent: Greene & Heaton Ltd.

Starred review from July 1, 2012

Gibraltar tax attorney Spike Sanguinetti agrees to help childhood schoolmate Solomon Hassan fight extradition to Morocco when Solomon is accused of murdering his boss's stepdaughter, Esperanza, in Tangiers. Being Jewish, Solomon fled the country because he is convinced the Moroccans will happily convict him. Spike travels to Tangiers, where he finds the authorities less than cooperative and Solomon's employer, a solar power company called Dunetech, most sinister. After a harrowing night, Spike tracks down Zahra, a Bedouin woman who knew Esperanza and suspects Dunetech had something to do with her death since the company covets the Bedouin lands. Spike manages to find enough allies to save his life, and along the way, he achieves some justice for those who need it most. VERDICT Guns, grit, and torture: this breathtaking debut runs through the shifting sands with aplomb. Mogford's exotic locales, gorgeous prose, and closing twist make this debut a showstopper. [Previewed in Kristi Chadwick's Genre Spotlight feature, "Crime Travels," LJ 4/15/12.]

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