BELINDA

A spy thriller meets legal fiction meets romance novel.

The book’s title refers to Belinda “Lyn” Larkin, a 60-year-old lawyer. Lyn is now daunted by the prospect of retirement and haunted by the one who got away: Jay Jackson, a Texas cowboy with an eventful past. After a stint in the CIA and a professional relationship with Lyn as her law firm colleague, he addressed their mutual chemistry on a passionate night together before disappearing from her life. The story follows Lyn as she closes a frustrating deal with oil corporation Global Trading, owned by the enigmatic private equity boutique Branoble. Meanwhile, Jay is reeling from the murder of his CIA mentor, Raymond Hatcher, which is connected to their off-the-books expedition in Spain years ago. In flashbacks, readers see Jay, seeking revenge for Raymond’s death, closely tailed by shadowy agent Anna Stegineo. When Lyn hears from Jay again, it is after he has apparently tied up some loose ends. Yet a tangled web of legal and political mysteries follows both protagonists along with a strange, colorful cast of characters: Ben Lufkin, Jay’s old agency handler; Patrick Brashner, the aggressive, misogynistic top dog at the law firm Stewart Baines; and Will Baines, legacy head of that firm. As the details of Raymond’s death become clearer to Jay, he grapples with putting his past behind him while Lyn confronts the sinister goings-on in the legal world. The tale opens and closes with a verse from T.S. Eliot’s “The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock.” Characters are sometimes bound by their “decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse,” but the poem’s thematic relevance to the story could be stronger than a hasty use of the verse. Still, Zvonkovic excels at showcasing the complexity of his female protagonist, with Lyn enduring the tribulations of being a woman in a male-dominated field. The portrayal of Mexico, a setting for Lyn and Jay’s romance, is questionable, with ironic questions strengthening stereotypes rather than generating humor. The vast cast of characters and complex legal plot will confuse many readers, leaving them unsure of the novel’s genre. While the author’s strength lies in characterization, the talewould benefit from a streamlining of the cast and storyline to better focus on the engaging, eponymous hero.

A cross-genre tale that’s intriguing, character-driven, and a little too packed.