Chagos Archipelago

Troubled lives intersect in the Indian Ocean with explosive results in Lutz’s tantalizing follow-up to Born Slippy. Frank Baltimore worked in construction until one of his employees started laundering money and gave Frank a cut of the proceeds, leaving him rich yet distrustful of his own moral compass. Trained assassin Mónica, who served prison time for killing her abusive stepfather before becoming a mercenary for hire, is contemplating retirement as the thrill of her work has begun to fade. The two meet by chance on vacation in Madagascar. Meanwhile, Alain, a member of the French Foreign Legion assigned to a solitary post near a U.S. naval base on a small island in the Indian Ocean, is haunted by his own regrets about betraying someone close to him, and tries to outrun his guilt by taking a mysterious job with Darkwater, a private military contractor. When Frank’s criminality comes back to bite him—with unexpected international implications—he, Mónica, and Alain form an uneasy alliance. Lutz keeps the plot moving at a steady clip while delving deep into his characters’ psyches, setting the stage for a shocking climax that lands with devastating emotional force. Neo-noir fans will eat this up. (Oct.)