Capital Punishment

by Robert Wilson Narrated by Gildart Jackson

Overview

Alyshia D'Cruz, daughter of Indian tycoon Frank D'Cruz, has grown up in London and Mumbai wanting for nothing. But one night, after a boozy evening out, she gets in the wrong cab home. Charles Boxer, ex-army, ex-police, has found his niche in private security. His specialty: kidnap and recovery. When D'Cruz hires Boxer to find Alyshia, Boxer knows Frank's crooked business empire has made him plenty of enemies. MI6 officers in India follow Boxer's leads and soon it seems more lives than Alyshia's are at stake, as the trail crosses paths with a terrorist plot on British soil. To save Alyshia, Boxer must dodge religious fanatics, Indian mobsters, and London's homegrown crime lords.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

Set in London, this energetic, thoughtful first in a new series from Gold Dagger Award–winner Wilson (A Small Death in Lisbon) introduces Charles Boxer, a former cop turned private security professional specializing in kidnapping. When 25-year-old Alyshia D’Cruz, the daughter of a self-made Indian billionaire, is kidnapped after an evening out with her co-workers, Boxer is charged with getting Alyshia back alive. The kidnapper, who insists that the crime “is not about money,” urges the family not to involve the press or the police. That a lot more than money, or Alyshia’s safety, is at stake becomes clear as the plot slowly, impressively expands to include an enormous cast of characters and a broad array of themes—global finance, the inequality of wealth, Islamic fundamentalism, counterterrorism. While at times the story’s immensity threatens to overwhelm the appealing Boxer, who is supremely competent yet reassuringly flawed, fans of intelligent thrillers will eagerly await the next installment. Agent: Anthony Sheil, Aitken Alexander Associates (U.K.). (Mar.)

From the Publisher

"Crackerjack . . . Featuring a large cast of well-sketched players and a plethora of plot twists, Capital Punishment shifts scenes briskly from London to Lisbon, Mumbai to Lahore. Wilson writes with elegant vigor as he describes the shoot-outs and emotional crescendos that result from the political and criminal intrigue at the heart of the book." — Wall Street Journal

 

"When it comes to turning over rocks, whether in London or Spain or South Africa or South Asia, Wilson knows how to show us the dark creatures that lurk beneath. . . . I don't think it will spoil any of the plot to say that just when you think the situation may be settling down, the kidnap leads us to the discovery of how a sleeper cell of al Qaeda terrorists put all of London in danger. By then you will be reading for your life."— Alan Cheuse, San Francisco Chronicle

 

"A gripping new thriller. Charles Boxer, ex-cop and soldier, is a private operative specializing in resolving kidnappings. . . . Wilson keeps tight control of his material." —Seattle Times

 

"Suspense author Wilson launches an exciting new series with this smart, sophisticated, and twisty thriller that keeps the reader guessing to the final page. Fans of Wilson’s other thrillers will definitely enjoy this one." —Library Journal , STARRED review

 

"Set in London, this energetic, thoughtful first in a new series from Gold Dagger Award–winner Wilson introduces Charles Boxer. . . .Fans of intelligent thrillers will eagerly await the next installment."—Publishers Weekly , STARRED review

 

"One of the more sophisticated writers in his field."—Kirkus Reviews

 

Library Journal

Alyshia D’Cruz, the privileged daughter of an Indian billionaire of Portuguese extraction, has grown up in London’s high society. After an unhappy stint in Mumbai to learn about her father’s international enterprises, she returns to London and finds a job on her own. Following a goodbye party for a coworker, a very drunk Alyshia leaves in what turns out to be decidedly the wrong cab. Her father, Francisco “Frank” Cruz, hires Charles Boxer, a homicide detective–turned–“kidnapping consultant” whom Frank somehow knows is sometimes willing to cross the line and erase perpetrators for an additional fee. Complicating matters is that the kidnappers will only deal with Alyshia’s mother, Isabel Marks, who is divorced from Frank. Furthermore, the kidnappers seem not to want the money that Frank is readily able to pay but instead demand “a demonstration of sincerity.”

Verdict British suspense author Wilson (A Small Death in Lisbon; The Company of Strangers) launches an exciting new series with this smart, sophisticated, and twisty thriller that keeps the reader guessing to the final page. Fans of Wilson’s other thrillers will definitely enjoy this one.—Vicki Gregory, SIS, Univ. of South Florida, Tampa

(c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Reviews

In the first installment of a new series by Wilson (A Small Death in Lisbon, 2000, etc.), the estranged daughter of an Indian tycoon is abducted in London for reasons that don't seem to involve ransom money--and then re-abducted. Sussing out this odd turn of events, "kidnapping and recovery" expert Charles Boxer is drawn into an international plot that may involve terrorists. Part spy novel, part police procedural and part terrorist thriller, this book features a wide assortment of suspects and victims. The tycoon, Frank D'Cruz, is a former Bollywood star whose coldblooded business methods have made countless enemies--but whose investments have made him a favored guest of the U.K. His 25-year-old daughter, Alyshia--whose mother, Isabel, is British--had mysterious dealings of her own during her times in Mumbai that may have contributed to her kidnapping. Boxer, a former military man and cop trying to live down his reputation for killing as well as thwarting kidnappers, complicates the investigation by having an affair with Isabel while collaborating with his West African ex-wife, Mercy, who's with the Metropolitan Police. The perpetually unraveling plot involves members of the Indian underworld looking for payback, London lowlifes looking for a fast score and Islamic extremists looking to blow up London. And while all this is going on, the estranged daughter of Boxer and Mercy is demanding attention. As packed with characters and incident as the book is, Wilson remains in elegant control of the narrative. Though there are times when the book bogs down a bit in the details, it never loses its grip. One of the more sophisticated writers in his field, Wilson leaves us looking forward to Charles Boxer's next assignment.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175700153
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	03/26/2013
Series:	Charles Boxer
Edition description:	Unabridged

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