The Risk Agent by Ridley Pearson

I loved Ridley Pearson's "Lou Boldt" series as well as other random novels of his that I've come across. So I was really looking forward to reading his newest, The Risk Agent. All I have to say is if you're going to read this, take notes on who's who as you go along. What a convoluted plot! The basic plot is this: A Chinese man working for an American construction company in Shanghai is kidnapped as is the man who had been assigned to be his security detail. The company's security contractor company hires two freelancers to get them both back. John Knox is an ex-military man who is now in import/export. Grace Chu is a forensic accountant. We soon find out that she has ties to the kidnapped Chinese man--and John has ties to the kidnapped security man. What follows is layer upon layer of intrigue and double dealing, back stabbing and duplicity. Grace and John are racing against the clock to find the 2 missing men--and trying to figure out why they were kidnapped in the first place. By the end of the story, it seems like half of Shanghai is looking for them--and a hurricane hits. I liked the chemistry between John and Grace--and hope Ridley P. has a new adventure lined up for them--but with a less convoluted plot. I will say that he did give the reader a good sense of life in Shanghai and in China in general, where saving face often matters more than anything else.