Cross Current

She never expected to tow anything other than broken-down boats back from the sea.But when Fort Lauderdale salvage tug captain Seychelle Sullivan spots a barely-awash wooden dory in the Gulf Stream with a young Haitian girl clinging to it, Seychelle's salvage job becomes a race against time to save a life.Solange. Ten years old. Haitian. Half-starved, her small white dress stained rust-brown. Clinging to a bow post next to the bloated body of a woman who didn't make it.Navigating Haitian Voodoo, the politics of immigration, and a threat she doesn't fully understand, Seychelle discovers that some salvage jobs require more than a towline and a bilge pump. Some wrecks are people. And some people are worth the risk.Cross Current is the second book in the Seychelle Sullivan series. If you enjoyed the gritty mysteries of Nevada Barr's Anna Pigeon series, the colorful characters of Carl Hiaasen's South Florida tales, or the atmospheric settings of Dana Stabenow's novels, then you won't want to miss Cross Current.Editorial reviews"e;Kling's prose is strong and authoritative… Cross Current is a taut, fast-paced thriller."e; -The Miami Herald"e;Exciting . . . Kling is an author who bears watching. She clearly knows how to add texture and color to her narrative… Cross Current is a keeper."e; -Tampa Tribune"e;We'll go on a boat ride with Seychelle anytime."e; -South Florida Sun-Sentinel"e;Christine rocks! Makes me love Florida more. Take a fun-loving writer, give her a pen or a tablet to key in, and you have magic in the air."e; -Amazon readerDon't wait, buy your copy of Cross Current now. Join Seychelle on her thrilling and dangerous journey through the waters of Fort Lauderdale. From Publishers WeeklySalvage boat captain and sometime sleuth Seychelle Sullivan returns in Kling's follow-up to her well-received debut, Surface Tension, this time to aid a frightened Haitian waif named Solange. Seychelle—who's plying the South Florida waters on her tugboat, the Gorda, with her mechanic cum lover, B.J.—discovers the girl on a swamped boat and makes saving her, both from danger and from immigration officials, a personal crusade. The recent murder of some Haitian refugees and a creepy visitor to Solange's hospital room convince Seychelle that the frightened girl is in peril. More challenges come from tough guys with various agendas. Detective Victor Collazo, with whom Seychelle has a combative history, seems determined to thwart her effort and return the child. Border Patrol Agent Russ Elliott presses a similar agenda, though Seychelle's lawyer and best friend Jeannie does her best to parry his thrusts. Retired DEA agent Joe D'Angelo conveniently arrives to perk up Seychelle's libido (B.J. notwithstanding) and address some unanswered questions about her dead father, with whom he worked, and a surprise visit by Seychelle's black-sheep brother, Pit, threatens even more disruption. Savvy readers will be two steps ahead of the plot, which features several genre set pieces, but Kling writes with crisp assurance, especially about life in coastal South Florida, and her supporting cast, if crowded, is colorful.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.From Booklist– Kling adds swift plotting, convincing nautical detail, voodoo lore, and tropical scenery, all of which adds up to a satisfying if unsurprising series that is Florida's answer to Grafton and Barr. David WrightCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved