Largo Winch--Volume 4--The Hour of the Tiger

November 15, 2009
A close cousin to James Bond, Largo Winch emerges as an impossibly capable hunk perpetually embroiled in international skulduggery and romantic dalliances. A formerly footloose adventurer, Winch begins his saga while avenging the assassination of his adoptive father, Nerio, whose death makes him a billionaire when he inherits the position as CEO of Nerio's Group W corporate empire. In this fourth story of the Largo Winch series, two highly placed coconspirators in Myanmar set up an elaborate ruse to arrest Winch's friend Simon on a false accusation of murder. The game is to lure in Winch and get him out of the way, wipe out a rebel alliance, and then seize national power and a fat purse of opium profits. But unfortunately for them, Winch has dangerous liaisons up his sleeve. VERDICT With a tight, twisting script and excellent semirealistic art, this makes a fine and manly picaresque adventure for high school and up. With eight "bande dessinée" stories so far, the series has sold millions of copies in Europe and led to a TV series, a film, and a video game.M.C.

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.