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.
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"I forget that Ridley Pearson writes grownup books because I love his series Peter and the Starcatchers so much. But this was really good with lots of action, a cool hero, John Knox, ex-military, and heroine, Grace Chu - who have great chemistry but thankfully do not have sex. Grace is a forensic accountant wo used to be in the Red Army so that gives her a good reason for some of the unusual skills she possesses. Loved the seting of China as I don't see a lot of books set there and it felt realistic and dirty and gritty. I liked that characters have some moral fiber and are loyal to their friends while naviating the murky waters of international intrigue and corporate misbehavior. If there are more of these I will be reading them." — Normalene (5 out of 5 stars)
"I forget that Ridley Pearson writes grownup books because I love his series Peter and the Starcatchers so much. But this was really good with lots of action, a cool hero, John Knox, ex-military, and heroine, Grace Chu - who have great chemistry but thankfully do not have sex. Grace is a forensic accountant wo used to be in the Red Army so that gives her a good reason for some of the unusual skills she possesses. Loved the seting of China as I don't see a lot of books set there and it felt realistic and dirty and gritty. I liked that characters have some moral fiber and are loyal to their friends while naviating the murky waters of international intrigue and corporate misbehavior. If there are more of these I will be reading them."
" Not particularly impressed. Quick read, pulp fiction before nostalgia made pulp fiction an art form. Straight forward story "
" Interesting book. Lots of twists and turns right through to the end. "
" I really enjoyed the new characters and setting. Looking forward to the next one. "
" I liked the story pretty well, but found myself getting a bit confused and felt that it went on a bit too long. The setting in present day China was quite interesting and the resolution, when it finally came, was satisfying. "
" Fast pace, good character development but extremely violent and uneven plot development. "
" starts off slo but hard to put down at the end. "
" You can't beat Ridley Pearson for his research and unexpected twists. However, I hate to say that this was my least favorite by him. Still a good read, and it perhaps could have been where I was emotionally, that I just didn't connect as well with the characters like I normally do. "
" Lots of intrigue, very good read! "
" A true thriller in the exciting setting of China. "
" A fine thriller, set in Shanghai, involving Western construction and security firms, convoluted Chinese politics on a number of levels and corruption running throughout, thugs, beautiful women, a typhoon, and more. "
" This was an interesting tale of how foreigners are kidnapped for ransom in China. It is based on real kidnapping stories but with a fictional twist. "
" I really enjoyed this book. Good plot, good characters, I liked the intrigue, this was a good read!! "
" Fast paced, a real page turner. Enjoyed the book. "
" tons of action made this a fun mystery. Would make a good movie. "
" One of his better works. "
" Fast paced with many Swedish twists and turns. "
" Love his writing! Good book with lots of action! "
" Not my cup of tea. Overly violent. Not that much interested in China spy stories. "
" Fun thriller w/ lots of twists & turns....great characters....but ending was a bit confusing. "
" I always enjoyed the Lout Boldt series and am hooked on these 2 new characters introduced in this book set in Shanghai. "
" Another good one by Pearson. I still miss the old Lou Boldt and Daphne Matthews team, though! "
Ridley Pearson is the New York Times bestselling author of more than two dozen novels, including The Red Room, Choke Point, and The Risk Agent, as well as the Walt Fleming and Lou Boldt crime series, and many books for young readers. He lives with his family, dividing his time between St. Louis, Missouri, and Hailey, Idaho.
Todd Haberkorn is an actor and winner of seven AudioFile Earphones Awards. He has created unique voices for a variety of characters for cartoons and video games. Add to this a healthy production life in front of and behind the camera as well as partaking in theater arts on stage, and he has had the pleasure of a wonderful career in the entertainment industry thus far. When he isn’t working on a production of some kind, he travels the globe talking about those productions.
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