Gibraltarian lawyer Spike Sanguinetti is torn. He's following a trail of clues across Italy, searching for his girlfriend, Zahra--who disappeared in Malta months before--when he receives a mysterious phone call from Zahra warning him to stop looking for her before his loved ones get hurt. Then he finds out that his partner, Peter Galliano, is in a coma, the victim of a hit and run. Reluctantly, Spike heeds Zahra's warning and heads back to Gibraltar.
He immerses himself in work, trying to pick up the slack in Peter's absence. While researching a case, he meets a beautiful young widow, Amy Grainger, who is convinced that her husband, Simon, did not commit suicide and that the police investigation was too hasty. Digging further into Simon's life leads Spike in an unexpected direction--a conspiracy as deep as the Rock itself.
Thomas Mogford (Shadow of the Rock; Sign of the Cross), brings the quirky culture of Gibraltar to life in Hollow Mountain. The Spanish-British-Moroccan mélange lends an unusual air to the characters, and the proximity to the Mediterranean influences the cases that Spike takes on (including one involving a ship searching for sunken treasure). Fans of international mysteries with a strong sense of place will love Hollow Mountain. Though this is the third book in Spike's series, readers will have no difficulty starting with this installment. After they finish, they'll probably be tempted to go back and catch up on what they missed. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm