In an effort to make peace with her mother Inez, Jade travels to Tangier where Inez immediately makes plans for Jade to resume her place in society, even to the point of setting up gentlemen for Jade to meet. As displeased with her mother as she is, when Inez is kidnapped, Jade will stop at nothing to find her, even if it means trading herself to her mother’s captors for her mother’s freedom.  

A disappearing corpse in a tunnel and a condescending police officer add to Jade’s difficulties in locating her mother. Lilith Worthy, a nemesis from Jade’s past, returns and may be the only one who can help Jade, but Jade isn’t sure she can trust Lilith; besides, she is as good a shot as any man and isn’t afraid to use the knife she carries with her at all times.

Taken out of her normal rural setting for this outing, Jade does equally well in Morocco as she does on the African plains. The tensions with her mother define Jade more as the independent woman she is, though Jade, through her newly found independence, is seeing another side of her mother. There are plenty of myths and stories about different Moroccan people, including the Berbers, woven into the story. Suzanne Arruda has done this with natives in past stories, adding more interest to the plot.

Ms. Arruda takes Jade and the reader through the Moroccan country, back through history, creating a rich atmosphere for the mystery. A fast-pace investigation, with plenty of Indiana Jones moments paired with a strong female heroine will endear this historical series to many readers.                                      

--Jennifer Monahan Winberry