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Author of The Goa File, James G. Skinner's Serene Maiden draws from his own experiences as a former Honorary British consul in Spain and injects the story with impeccable research and consular anecdotes, resulting in a reasonably accurate, yet fictional account of the inner working of Spanish drug cartels between the inlets of Europe and Galicia, Spain. While the narrative itself might be classified as a fast-paced thriller, it would be better regarded as a fusion of thriller and historical fiction due to the numerous inclusions of current historical figures and globally-catastrophic events. Skinner's use of unique, screenplay-like descriptions gives the audience clear-cut visions of characters and plot twists. While this format works wonders for the pacing of the novel, readers must be prepared for many shifts from location to location and past to present. Attentive readers who are glued to the plot will pick up on the subtleties, appreciate the plethora of characters and their roles, and will thoroughly enjoy the swift movement of exposition.
Although it would be difficult to characterize any one character as central, there are many without whom the plot would fail to move forward. Among them are a pair of unordinary sleuths: Stan Bullock, a shipping agent and Honorary British consul in Spain, and the ever-inquisitive technology whiz, Lieutenant Sergio Quiroga.
The narrative begins with a seemingly ordinary suicide of a British citizen, Donald Simmons, who is found hanging from a ceiling lamp in a Vigo, Spain hotel. However, combining the suicide with a series of somewhat bizarre events, including the drowning of a British Navy officer, leaves many questions unanswered. Digging deeper, the duo of Bullock and Quiroga form a connection with Maiden Voyages, a company that represents tourist yachts, including the Serene Maiden.
When Glen Richards, Jerry Fulton, and Donald Simmons bring about the inception of Maiden Voyages, the plan is relatively simple: under the pretense of tourism, make three trips—carrying 70 kilos of drugs—from Falmouth, a town on the south coast of Cornwall, England to Vigo, Spain. The end result would be a profit of nearly ten million dollars. What ensues exceeds their wildest imaginations.
The aftershocks of the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center are felt throughout the world as Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda focus on wreaking havoc globally. Isolated sleeper cells, which often resulted in difficult-to-predict lone wolf terrorist activities were cropping up in Spain, and in need of financing. The pairing seems picture perfect, providing the terrorists with drug money to finance their destructive plans.
Panoramic is an ideal way to characterize Serene Maiden’s storytelling. Rather than being told simply of the backstory or concurrent story lines, readers have an opportunity to enter specific scenes and witness the characters being brought to life. For instance, Skinner does a commendable job of portraying the tension in the United States government as it prepares to go after Saddam Hussein and his stash of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) post 9/11. Short snippets of Abu Ghraib, the Madrid train bombings, the London bombing of 2005, and more are eye-opening as they are based on reality. Moreover, the audience is also made privy to the perspective of the terrorists themselves, and their rationale for terror. For this reason, paying careful attention to the shifts in time and character focus is essential. One scene may consist of Bullock and Quiroga hatching a conspiracy while the next scene may go back in time to present readers with additional clues.
Though the primary storyline focuses on the drug trade and the potentially devastating terrorist attack in Spain and Britain, Skinner employs the use of intimate relationships to help keep the readers engaged. In the case of Stan Bullock, he meets a Spanish college student, Yolanda, who happens to be from Vigo; they fall in love instantly. Similarly, Lieutenant Sergio Quiroga's relationship with Gloria is embedded within key aspects of the action.
Overall, the premise of the story lies in the need to find out if Stan and Lieutenant Quiroga will be able to unravel the mystery of the cocaine cartels and discover the terrorist plans before it's too late. Excessive time-hopping, though certainly a distraction at times, helps readers get the whole picture from many perspectives. Combining this time-hopping method of story structure with Skinner's script-form storytelling makes for an interesting read, especially for fans of recent historical fiction and conspiracy theories.