Lynne Heitman The Pandora Key

The Pandora Key

Lynne Heitman

Pocket, March 2006, 371 pp.

ISBN 0743456165

Private investigator Alex Shanahan is in partnership with Harvey who is slowly wasting away from multiple sclerosis. One day Alex goes over to Harvey's house and sees his beloved ex wife Rachel there; the woman who cut and run when her husband was diagnosed with MS. Rachel wants Alex to go to her old apartment and pick up some things for her, as she fears her abusive husband is there. When Alex goes to the apartment she finds that Rachel cleared out the place many days ago.

When she returns to Harvey's apartment she finds him and Rachel gone. Rachel got her out of the way so she could get Harvey to someone who wants to speak to him, a very dangerous head of the Russian Mafia. They free him, but the Mafia king wants Harvey to tell him where Roger Fratello, the man he believes killed his brother, hides. Harvey is visited by the FBI who want to know why his fingerprints, along with Frank's are on packets of money that were found in a terrorist hideout in Afghanistan, along with the belongings of the dead hostages of an airline hijacked by Muslim fundamentalists. There are so many players in this game with different objectives, that it will be a miracle if Alex can keep everyone alive by playing one against each other.

Lynne Heitman has written a tense thriller taken out of the pages of today's headlines. The time-lines of the story enable readers to relate to the characters as well as defining the plot. The heroine doesn't care about politicians or other government agendas; she just wants to keep Harvey alive as long as possible. Ms. Heitman weaves a political message, that if gone unchecked, will lead to dangerous repercussions.