In The Informationist Taylor Stevens creates a strong character that combines the vulnerability and aloofness of Larsson's Salander, the instinct to survive and prevail of Ludlum's Jason Bourne, the logic and awareness of Sherlock Holmes and the deciphering ability of a mentalist.
Combine these traits with a linguist, who knows over twenty languages, and you have an intriguing character, no matter where the plot takes you.
There is definitely a movie in this author's future.
The story takes place in Africa, where the main character Vanessa Michael Munroe goes in search of a missing girl.
Munroe's usual business is to extract information by melding in, listening and observing.
But with the lure of a five million dollar fee and her childhood connections to Africa, she agrees to help the girl's father find out what happened to Emily, who disappeared four years earlier.
One of the terms of the agreement is that she must report in and work with Miles Bradford, a man she doesn't entirely trust.
Her past associations with the seedy side of equatorial Africa come to light as her investigation progresses, and she is reunited with a man, who seems to know her better than she knows herself.
The characters and the African setting are compelling.
Stevens gives us not only a fast-paced thriller, but also a fresh character that combines the best attributes of several of today's most popular fiction writers.
She also gives the reader a sense of place with simple, vivid details that put you alongside the action.
There is a dark side to Munroe, reminiscent of some of Karin Slaughter's characters.
The author spent much of her early life enveloped in a religious cult and like her character, traveled widely.
By sheer will power she was able to get beyond her sixth grade education and paint a picture and a story filled with life experiences that go beyond expectations.
The sequel to The Informationist is The Innocent, where she exorcises some of her own personal demons through Munroe's infiltration of a cult.