I was unaware that this was the third in a series, so didn't enjoy quite as much as I think I would have with the full backstory, but it has made me look for the first ones in the series and may well re isot this one then!

The third of Erskine’s Jacqueline Silver adventures – part crime novels, part high octant thriller. I have loved the whole series so far – no surprise since I am definitely an Erskine fan. The stakes are high in this one with a matter closer to home drawing grasping third parties into Jaq’s path. Jaq of course has a talent for getting into and out of trouble, with the sort of cool calculation James Bond might envy but in a way much more believable to you’re average person. More than anything, these books are fun, with a smart, independent heroine with a head for chemistry. Highly recommend.

This is the latest in Fiona Erskine's unusual and offbeat crime series where science, particularly chemistry and chemical elements details are central to the narrative. Erskine's background in chemical engineering and academia informs the plot and the main character of Jaq Silver, who here has to deal with the shocking and deadly repercussions of inheriting a strong box from her now dead dementia suffering mother, Angie, in Lisbon, Portugal. This is a particularly complex and intricate story, which begins in Praia de Mocambique, Florianopolis, Brazil, in the run up to Christmas. Intruders break in demanding Jaq's inheritance, having taken Mercurio as hostage, giving her a deadline of 5 days to retrieve it from the UK, if she fails, they will kill him. The narrative then goes back and forth in time over the last 12 months to reveal how she ended up in this position.

The reason for Jaq working in Brazil for Tecnoproject and Bruno lies in what she discovered in the strong box, there were a number of old documents and deeds. Included is the incendiary information that Angie and the convent in which Jaq had been imprisoned in Lisbon after becoming pregnant, had lied to her, her baby had not died, but had been put up for adoption and sold. This has her desperate and determined in her mission to find her son, but the convent refuses to co-operate in providing her with any information, leading her to hire a lawyer to help her. Matters become confusing when it becomes clear that Jaq's life is under danger, and as the death toll rises to horrifying levels, there are deadly accidents and carnage that follow her, and just what and who lies behind the soldiers intent on killing her? What is the Mercury Protocol and will she manage to get back to Brazil and save Mercurio?

Erskine has created a fascinating character in Jaq with her traumatic history that includes the loss of her brother and her toxic, hateful mother, Angie. It's a wonder that Jaq has managed to survive and retain her sanity after being abused, betrayed, imprisoned, robbed, tricked and mutilated, it is unsurprising she has trust issues, her past has ensured that she had to learn to rely on herself. We have the returning characters of Johan, Emma and their son, Ben, living in the breathtaking location of the Lake District. This is a jam packed addition to the series, and it can be a challenge to keep up with all the different threads and what is happening in the novel. However, this never prevents this from being an utterly riveting and gripping read, full of nailbiting suspense and tension and Brazil, with its troubling history, provides a wonderfully colourful and vibrant location. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.