Book Review: "Midnight in Madrid" by Noel Hynd

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 Piet' 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

This was another excellent read from Noel Hynd. I had thoroughly enjoyed the first book in the series due to its fast paced action sequences and very impressive and engaging storyline. The second book in the series lived up to my expectations and brought me on another thrill ride. This time, Alex is taken from her vacation to go back into the force and finds herself on another mission that could possible harm her life. Once again, the historical research and details in this book are top notch. I learned a lot about art history from this book. Also of interest was the history of the Spanish Civil War. That is a topic that is usually never brought up in history classes and I've only read about it one other fiction series, so to see it here was a delightful surprise. If only for the historical facts alone, this book is a gem. I really like how the author uses current events to develop the story without having to resort to using pop culture references that go out of date almost immediately. The locales in this book are exotic and I really enjoyed reading about the history of Spain. It made me feel like I was actually there. A lot of the conversation deals with political issues, which can possibly get boring at times, but if you want to learn while you read, this is a fun and exciting way to get some knowledge.

There is, again, quite a bit of violence in this book. There's nothing gory, but the action sequences are very intense and there are many of them. The scene near the end is quite nail biting and a bit terrifying. There is some language but it's been bleeped out. The only thing in the book I did not seem to get was Alex and Peter's relationship. One minute Peter's the good guy, the next he's the bad guy and by the end of the book I still couldn't tell which side he was on. It made me wonder if Alex was able to tell as well. As I finished this book, all I could think was that Noel Hynd has become one of my new favorite suspense authors. I've honestly never really enjoyed reading a book more. This series is on par with mainstream books and would hold up to all the major suspense kings of literature. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the series. HIGHLY recommended.

Midnight in Madrid by Noel Hynd is published by Zondervan (2009)

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