I’m usually not fond of books that take the main character out of their home area. However, Mark Pryor’s The Reluctant Matador works because Hugo Marston takes his support team with him when he leaves Paris for Barcelona. He even finds an unlikely ally in Spain.
When Amy Dreiss doesn’t show up to have pancakes with Hugo at Breakfast in America in Paris, he’s a little surprised. However, he thinks the nineteen-year-old American found something better to do than have breakfast with an old family friend. But, Amy’s a link to Hugo’s late wife, Ellie. Amy’s mother died in the same accident, and Hugo and Amy’s stepfather, Bart Denum dote on her. Then, Hugo receives a phone call from Bart. Amy didn’t call him on his birthday, and he’s worried about her.
It doesn’t take Hugo long to worry about her as well. It seems she wasn’t “modeling” in Paris. She was dancing at a strip club. And, no one at the strip club has seen her, although one woman gives Hugo a business card for an agency in Spain. He connects with his friend and sometimes roommate, Tom Green, who still does jobs for the CIA, and the two head to Barcelona. Of course, the two immediately get in trouble for breaking into a business. They’re just lucky that Chief Inspector Bartoli Garcia is the brother of Hugo’s late friend, Capitaine Garcia of the French police.
In Hugo’s world, break-ins seem common. Although they’ve been warned by Garcia, Hugo and Tom use the time devoted to a siesta to try to find the man who left that business card for Amy. When they enter his home, they find his bloodied body, with Amy’s father Bart standing over it.
With Bart in jail, and the two friends in trouble again, it’s surprising that Garcia allows Hugo to work with his team on the murder investigation. It’s equally surprising because Hugo doesn’t speak Spanish. Unless suspects and witnesses speak English, he’s dependent on a translator. But, Hugo doesn’t want to give up, especially since he realizes Amy left behind a clue meant for him.
I have mixed feelings about The Reluctant Matador. Hugo is out of place, without the usual resources. However, he brought along Tom, and his reporter friend, Claudia shows up. And, Bartoli Garcia is inclined to trust Hugo. I’ve been to Barcelona, just as I’ve been to Paris, so I recognized a few of the sites and some of the food. That’s always fun. Even so, this book is a little more unlikely than the ones set in Paris. I’m looking forward to the next one when Hugo Marston returns home.
Mark Pryor’s website is https://www.markpryorbooks.com
The Reluctant Matador by Mark Pryor. Seventh Street Books, 2015. 298p.
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