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Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite
Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke’s The Sicilian Nexus follows Jake Fortina, a retired US Army officer whose work with Italy’s Carabinieri draws him into signs of a covert operation developing in Sicily. Soon afterward, intelligence links unfamiliar Farsi communications in southeastern Sicily to activity involving organized crime. Colonel Giorgio Ricci begins closing in on the pattern, bringing former Army teammate Manuel Alvarez into the mission beside Jake. At the same time, Iranian intelligence officer Babak Shirazi advances a plan through intermediaries as Cosa Nostra leaders seek renewed influence. Every lead points toward an alliance built around shared interests, yet the pattern gives investigators only fragments of what is being prepared. With multiple organizations watching the island, Jake must identify the operation before those behind it are ready to move.
Ralph R. “Rick” Steinke’s The Sicilian Nexus delivers outstanding geopolitical espionage with a sharp understanding of seasoned operatives at work. Jake Fortina has stature through the respect he shows Manny as a full partner during their Sicilian assignment. That praise is proven when Jake works beside Manny under librarian identities in Ortigia, then again through Carabinieri photographers posing around a Mafia meeting. Sara Simonetti-Fortina is impressive as a Carabinieri colonel studying classified reports, giving her role credibility. Babak Shirazi brings calculated danger as the Iranian official working through intermediaries against American interests in Sicily. The settings contribute just as much to the espionage atmosphere, whether it's Gambino Vini overlooking the Ionian Sea, or Ortigia’s Grand Hotel Des Ètrangers rising above the waterfront. Readers drawn to intelligent international espionage fiction are in for a real treat. Very highly recommended.
