James Twining, The Black Sun

The Black Sun

James Twining

Harper Collins, November 2006, $24.95

ISBN 0060762144

In London, British MI6 operatives try to enlist the aid of former CIA Agent Tom Kirk in a nasty situation involving three brutal murder-robberies. Tom declines, even as they describe the murders at a synagogue in Prague, at a hospital in London and a museum in Maryland. All were violent, yet nothing of seeming value taken. What was stolen was a worthless 1940's painting, a Nazi camp survivor's arm, and a WWII Enigma machine. This doesn't make sense, except for the war connection and the probable link to neo-Nazi supremacist group Kristall Blade.

Tom agrees to help when he learns that his enemy from his espionage days, Harry Renwick is involved. Tom, accompanied by two friends, begins following clues on two continents in order to stop the Neo-Nazis and their allies from achieving their objective, which he knows involves six decades old lost gold and other treasures.

THE BLACK SUN is an exciting neo-Nazi thriller, and sub-genre fans will enjoy following the exploits of introspective Tom and his cohorts. As with Kirk's first novel, THE DOUBLE EAGLE, the fast-paced storyline blends historical tidbits into a modern day mystery. Readers will enjoy James Twining's tense tale, though nothing neo arises under the Nazi sun.