Camaro Espinoza – her father liked cars! – has relocated to Miami, one year after five men had been killed in New York. Get the picture? An ex-Army medic, she now runs a deep-water fishing charter business.

When she is approached by Parker Story to hire the boat for a night, along with three other friends, although Camaro senses some ‘fishy’ business, she is happy to take the business and also to take Parker to bed! When she finds out that the journey will involve the pick-up of a man off the Cuban coast, she finds the money has been upped but is still willing to take the risk.

Set in the closing years of the Castro regime the plot is predictable and predominantly involves brutal shoot-outs. Yes, there is a thin line of feeling and caring involving Parker’s daughter, Lauren, but this in no way redeems this book.

I found that reading about people who appeared uncaring in their treatment of others, made me not care much about the book. Perhaps if I had read the previous novels about Camaro I would have cared more, but I haven’t and I didn’t.

Maybe I am being unfair in my review, but as always, this is my opinion. Others may well disagree.

Sméagol

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review

THE NIGHT CHARTER was one of my favorite novels this year I loved the characters,

Wow what a fantastic read. Go Camaro Espinoza! My new favourite female lead.

Exciting and unusual, with plausible former soldier, tough woman with heart of gold; her dark past emerges but this is not a psychological thriller, it's a feisty thriller about a woman who happens to cross paths with a good hearted loser and determines at all costs to help him on account of his daughter. A local cop with a refined sense of right and wrong and some FBI people all aim at taking the same guy she helps out; there is mixed-allegiance terrorism involved too - intense, complexcomplex and exciting and twists right up until the end. We are in hands of terrific writer here.

This is an intriguing read, full of action and speed. The heroine is herself a dubious character with a deep desire to use evil to achieve good. It works for her and for the reader. The pace is good, the writing very good. The setting is pleasant. Sorting out the various sides in the Cuban gangs takes attention but it is well worth it.