RED PAINT

A Canadian detective sergeant hunts human traffickers who’ve slapped a target on his back in this sequel to Blue Star (2020).

In one of DS Alex Desocarras’ biggest cases, he exposed a sex-trafficking ring. But while the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have taken down the major players, at least two villains remain at large. The men kill a key witness and target Alex and his wife. Meanwhile, local hacktivist Levon Starr, out of sheer curiosity, peruses the RCMP’s servers for details on the ongoing case. Unexpectedly, he sees that one of the traffickers may have access to these servers. Levon shares this info, in an encrypted format, with Alex. Authorities take measures to avoid the baddies’ eavesdropping, while clues lead them to ships that may be transporting abducted women for organ harvesting. Levon convinces his hacker pals, like his brother, to use their skills to thwart traffickers, risking everyone’s safety. Van Clieaf’s action-stuffed adventure maintains a consistently menacing tone. An impending winter storm that promises to be brutal further intensifies the mood. Striking prose keeps things moving, even if it’s primarily dialogue, and the diverse cast includes numerous Indigenous characters, including Alex and Levon. The investigation, however, is sometimes hard to follow, especially as piecing together evidence involves what officers erroneously call palindromes. Regardless, the story ends with a first-rate setup for the next series installment.

A vigorous thriller spiced with plenty of fight scenes and memorable characters.