A Chinese national working for an American-owned construction company is
grabbed off the streets of Shanghai in broad daylight. His one-man
security detail goes missing as well. Rutherford Risk, the company's
international security contractor, specializes in negotiation for and
recovery of kidnapped hostages. Private investigation is illegal in
today's China. Operating within her borders is difficult at best:
complex political situations and corrupt individuals combined with the
intricacies of Chinese culture make such work anything but
straightforward. The security company recruits two unique outsiders to
do its bidding. Grace Chu is a forensic accountant hired to follow the
money; John Knox is a civilian with unparalleled training in both combat
and the street culture of Shanghai, brought in to support her. Chu's
top-notch American education as well as her Chinese military service
makes her an unassuming but effective operative, while Knox's
take-no-prisoners attitude provides the street smarts and arm-twisting
necessary to pursue the location of the hostages. Following the money
trail leads to more complex -- and dangerous -- consequences than either
Chu or Knox anticipated. Who is actually behind the kidnapping? More
important, can Knox and Chu locate the two hostages ahead of the ransom
deadline? Rich with the atmosphere of today's Shanghai in all its
contradictory beauty, crackling with tension-filled suspense, The Risk
Agent introduces us to two compelling, original characters -- and ushers
in the start of a brilliant series.
