William Deverell

Romance novelist Maggie Schneider flees snowy Canada for Costa Rica, seeking inspiration . . . and maybe even a romantic encounter. She finds far more than she expected when she’s kidnapped by a rag-tag gang led by a handsome, charismatic revolutionary called Halcon: the Falcon. Also held hostage for ransom is Halcon’s main target, the vivacious wife of a right-wing senator seeking the Republican nomination as U.S. president.

Enter burned-out ex–secret agent Slack Cardinal, the protagonist of Deverell’s third novel, Mecca. Now he has changed his name and is hiding out in the Costa Rican jungles, working as a tour guide. But he is found there by CIA operative Ham Bakerfield and cajoled into going undercover in an effort to rescue the women.

“This book should be proof that we have a treasure in our midst." Vancouver Sun

"[Deverell is] at his keenest with a story that will have you both snickering and clearing romantic lumps in your throat." Ottawa Citizen

“The Laughing Falcon is, simply, a wonderful book.” — Sara Dowse, Vancouver Sun

"The Laughing Falcon ­- a boldly zigzagging yarn of ex-CIA operatives and romance novelists in Costa Rica - is every bit as good as Kate Grenville’s The Idea of Perfection, which this year scooped Britain’s prestigious Orange Prize." Margaret Cannon, Globe and Mail