Message from absalom by Anne Armstrong Thompson.
Nine years had passed since she had last seen him and John Novak had come to say goodbye…
Until Susannah finds him waiting for her in her hotel room with a brief assignment.
She must deliver a message for him. To no one else but the President! This was the last Susannah saw of him. She knew it was the last time when she saw him get shot in front of many other tourists. His cover had been blown, that much she was certain of. But who could have known? Someone somewhere was going to a lot of trouble to ensure the Absalom operation was unmasked, especially since Novak’s boss, Jess Simpson, was murdered too. She was safe, but only if no one knew who Novak had asked to continue his assignment …
Touring in a foreign country meant her only safe option would be to contact the American Embassy, but hadn’t Novak warned her against doing that? There was a leak there …
Her covert job with the CIA had ended five years earlier. Entrusted with Novak’s mission in Bulgaria, meant she had to be on guard. There’s was no one she could really trust. She was on her own with this mission … it would be safer to act alone. Staying close to her tour group would be her best cover. One that would have worked fine had a strange, mysterious Russian not captured their attention. But he only had eyes for her. With the Bulgarian security police questioning everyone, Susannah is very worried. Why are they interested in her tour group and why would the police suspect them of having information that would help them eradicate a narcotics ring? Working alone, against one of the best Russian KGB agents, she finds herself attracted to the one man who has the power to destroy her…
A very good read with good characters. Great story. 4*.