CBR3 #46: The Informationist - Taylor Stevens

Stevens's blazingly brilliant debut introduces a great new action heroine, Vanessa Michael Munroe, who doesn't have to kick over a hornet's nest to get attention, though her feral, take-no-prisoners attitude reflects the fire of Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander. Nine years have passed since Munroe, the daughter of American missionaries, escaped Cameroon at age 15 after a violent incident. She's forged a new life in Texas as an "informationist," a person who specializes in gathering information about developing countries for corporations. Munroe's best friend, marketing consultant Kate Breeden, refers her to Miles Bradford, a high-stakes security pro, who believes she's the perfect choice to help Houston oilman Richard Burbank find his adopted daughter, Emily, who vanished four years earlier at age 18 while vacationing in west central Africa. Munroe returns to Africa, where she reconnects with her ex-boyfriend, Francisco Beyard, a sexy drug- and gun-running businessman, who assists in the dangerous search for Emily. Thriller fans will eagerly await the sequel to this high-octane page-turner. - Publishers Weekly

When I heard this book pitched at a library conference earlier this year, I couldn't wait to read it.  Thanks to a free shipping & nice discount from Random House I was able to enjoy it!  Very good thriller and very engaging.  It reads like an action movie and I could see it easily transferring to the big screen.

Most of the book is set in Africa.  I don't know much about the countries in which the story took place, so I wonder if I missed some of the nuisances. The main character does have a lot of demons, but she has learned to leverage her strengths and make a way for herself.  I'm interested to read more by the author and especially more books with this main character.