PORT OF LIGHT

by David Serafin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 25, 1987

Case #5 for Madrid's Supt. Luis Bernal (Saturday of Glory, Madrid Underground) is more political mini-thriller than mystery--as the policeman races to foil an attempted coup in the Canary Islands, with damsel-in-distress subplot suspense (dubiously contrived) involving Bernal's mistress Consuelo. The plot hinges on a whopping coincidence: just when Bernal is dispatched to Grand Canary to prepare security for a Presidential visit, Consuelo--a Madrid bank auditor on busman's holiday (and nine months pregnant) on the island--is investigating a suspicious account. . .that just happens to belong to a gang of secret rebel organizers, planning a coup and a Presidential assassination! So, as Bernal arrives, Consuelo is kidnapped by the rebels and imprisoned in a cave. The search for her is launched--while a recent murder leads the police to an abandoned rebel hide-out. And eventually the rebels are tracked down, plucky Consuelo is found (after a tragic ordeal), and the assassination plot is foiled. Sturdily detailed (and occasionally atmospheric) in the police-investigation and the rebel schemes--but basically predictable, earnest, and flat.

Pub Date: Sept. 25, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1987

Categories: FICTION