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Riccardo is a wealthy Greek industrialist chafing under the thumb of his father’s disrespect and autocratic rule. To prove his prowess and increase his independence, he becomes involved in shady dealings with international businessmen who are both unethical and illegal. Aiding him in his machinations—and at the same time spying on him for a clandestine government organization—are his security heads, Flynn and George. All three men are trying, and frequently failing, to move their lives contentedly forward after the death of Riccardo’s wife, Marion, who was also Flynn’s lover. In fact, it is the recurring emergence of Marion, either in their minds as an illusion or in their eyes in spirit form that make it difficult for them to concentrate on the future rather than their collective past. This becomes particularly vexing when Riccardo is juggling potential remarriage and all three men are being swept into a whirlwind of intrigue involving gunrunning, terrorism, and virtual blackmail by the CIA.
This novel feels a bit like a patchwork quilt. In its entirety it’s all one piece, but it seems constructed of multiple parts. As the plot ricochets from one situation to the next, the author has chosen to move back and forth in time to lay out this character study, adventure yarn, and ghost story rolled into one. This occasionally proves a jolt to concentration and a speed bump to pace. The novel is however, filled with exotic locales, conflicting emotions, mayhem, romance, and tragedy—just the things that some readers may well find intoxicating.