By Christopher Reich
Simon Riske has a special set of skills. Both are on display in Christopher Reich’s fourth installment of this fantastic series. Riske is a world-class restorer of exotic automobiles. He is also a man with a checkered past. That past, however, furnished him with another kind of proficiency — that of investigative prowess.
In Once A Thief, Riske celebrates his hundred-million-dollar sale of a rare 1963 Ferrari, until the buyer charges that it is a fake. Riske is forced to prove the car’s authenticity or face dire consequences. This will be no easy task. The proof lies in a transmission that is near impossible to source. As Riske races against the clock to find the part and establish the Ferrari’s authenticity he meets Anna Bildt, the daughter of a Swiss banker recently murdered by a car bomb.
On a crisscross adventure across Europe, Riske and Anna “find themselves players in a deadly game, where billions of dollars change hands and knowledge is paid for with your life” (www.christopherreich.com).
As with the other volumes in the Simon Riske series, Once a Thief will keep you turning pages or (if you prefer the audible route), listening for hours.
PS: Read Reich’s bio. The author’s story is a fascinating tale of its own. Once you read it, you can understand why his protagonist jumps here and there around with the world with ease.
