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When a mysterious relic is stolen from a Madrid museum, people are dying to discover its secrets. Literally.U.S. Treasury agent Alexandra LaDuca returns from Conspiracy in Kiev to track down the stolen artwork, a small carving called The Pietà of Malta. It seems to be a simple assignment, but nothing about this job is simple, as the mysteries and legends surrounding the relic become increasingly complex with claims of supernatural power.As aggressive, relentless, and stubborn as ever, Alex crisscrosses Europe through a web of intrigue, danger, and betrayal, joined by a polished, mysterious new partner. With echoes of classic detective and suspense fiction from The Maltese Falcon to The Da Vinci Code, Midnight in Madrid takes the reader on a nonstop spellbinding chase through a modern world of terrorists, art thieves, and cold-blooded killers.… (more)
User reviews
The story is wonderfully descriptive and includes information about art theft and historical references of Spain. The book is so well-written that the story just takes off and does not stop the suspense and surprises until the very end.
The main character of Alex (Alexandra LaDuca) is very likeable as she struggles with the moral and ethical decisions she has to make in the course of her high-stakes job. She relies on her faith, but also struggles with doubt and questions – as do real people of faith. This book is not a Christian book that preaches anything; it is a book by a person of faith who creates characters that struggle with faith and moral issues.
The other two books in this trilogy are Conspiracy in Kiev and Countdown in Cairo. Noel Hynd has also written the novels, The Enemy Within, Flowers from Berlin, and Ghosts.
I have received so many good books this year, but this is certainly one of my top favorites.
By the time we meet Alex, the reader is already aware of discontent in the radical Islamic movement in Spain, of a man who is importing explosives into Spain and of the death of a Chinese mystic in Switzerland. We know these elements will all, somehow, be connected.
MIDNIGHT IN MADRID is a thriller, with a tight time frame, with short punchy chapters, threads that are being advanced simultaneously, and a real feeling of a race against time, as terrorists tunnel under Madrid.
While MIDNIGHT IN MADRID is not a particularly long novel, one of my problems with it is that the author wanted to tell me so much, and left me little to research for myself. The information was comprehensive and ranged from explanations about Christian iconography, philosophy of religion, a history of modern art theft, lessons in the history of the world, of terrorism, of Al-Qaeda. At times there was travelogue, and the result was that I felt that the author wanted to talk about moral issues, to justify the USA's anti-terrorism methods, and that his characters were his mouthpiece. There was a lot that could have been trimmed. It felt that he needed me to understand that the novel has a solid factual basis, but it also gives him the opportunity to postulate some pretty unconvincing theories.
The second problem I had was being told soon after Alex appeared in the novel that she is a Christian. That caused me discomfort right from the start, and I then had further problems when I found out that she had (reluctantly) killed someone in Kiev. she prayed that God would someday have mercy on her.
I realise though there are many who will be able to enjoy MIDNIGHT IN MADRID without these qualms.
In this book Alex finds herself being sent to