by Wilbur Smith
First published 2011
Hazel Bannock controls one of the world's largest oil companies. She takes her nineteen-year-old daughter Cayla on a yacht cruise through the Indian Ocean. Somalian pirates attack their vessel and seize Cayla as a hostage. The criminals want twenty billion dollars for her return. World governments cannot act because of political complications. Reports arrive showing that Cayla suffers brutal treatment at her captors' hands. Hazel contacts Hector Cross, the security expert who protects her oil business. Cross runs a military company called Cross Bow Security. He knows how to fight and win dangerous battles. Hazel and Hector decide they must ignore official channels. They will mount their own rescue operation to save Cayla from her tormentors.
Genres: adventure, contemporary, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: India, Indian Ocean, Somalia
Period: 21st-century
386 pages · Hardcover · Thomas Dunne Books
Content warnings: kidnapping, violence