THE SANTORINI SETUP

In this romantic suspense novel, an American university professor finds love and espionage on a Greek island.

Professor Britt Evans is well versed in the subject she loves—ancient Greek culture. She’s set to research the Minoans on Santorini, though she’s most excited to bask on the island’s tranquil beach near the ocean waves. But before she even leaves Athens, where Britt guest lectured, United States Embassy official and intelligence liaison Susan Marcello recruits her as an asset. As a private citizen with a legitimate reason to be there, Britt is a perfect choice for snooping around Santorini, where something is afoot. At least, that’s what the Greek Criminal Investigative Services’ previous asset believed. He only managed to send a cryptic message before falling to his death in an apparent accident. Once on the island, Britt finds herself quickly smitten with professional computer nerd and windsurfer Cassie Burkhardt. While Britt is an open lesbian, Cassie has only dated men. But that does nothing to dampen the attraction that both women clearly feel. Meanwhile, Britt keeps her eyes peeled for anything suspicious, which there seems to be a lot of on Santorini. Artifacts, for example, have gone missing from a local excavation site as well as the museum. Plus, there’s no shortage of thuggish types, who turn even more dubious once Britt realizes they’re armed. When she’s nearly hit by a truck and later a bullet, Britt knows without a doubt someone has targeted her. But now Cassie, this wonderful woman she’s fallen for, is in danger as well.

Bohan’s novel amasses a laudable female cast. The highlighted romance enthralls; as with any good love story, there are hurdles. In one scene, Britt stews at a nightclub filled with straight couples while she watches men flock to Cassie. Along with the blooming couple and Susan, there’s Britt’s friend Nicki Lampas, who has a none-too-subtle and unrequited interest in Britt. They’re all capable women intellectually and physically, traits that prove necessities all the way to the tense final act. Other characters spark subplots (for instance, there’s trouble with someone’s forthcoming wedding) that occasionally tie to the sketchy island affairs that Britt looks into. Regardless, the book’s mystery is nominal; Britt hardly investigates, as she stumbles on evidence and draws conclusions based on information she’s picked up by happenstance. In addition, the criminals are pretty dense and don’t stand much of a chance against the witty and tenacious professor. Still, these villains are unquestionable menaces. The narrative reveals one baddie to readers early on, but others are less obvious, making a number of untrustworthy characters potential threats against Britt and Cassie. Bohan permeates this tale with suspense courtesy of sharp, sometimes ominous prose. For example, Britt, having just arrived on the island, claims “a coffin-sized rectangle on a patch of black sand” at the beach. Later, certain that someone is following her and Cassie, she speeds a car “around the curves of the snaking road.”

A sublime cast propels this tale of romance, misdeeds, and intrigue.