The Tenth Crusader

Rick Macey is back in The Tenth Crusader by Kirk Outerbridge. The cyborg private investigator-turned-government operative has a new mission. He's asked by the government to return to the Philippines to investigate the death of a diplomatic negotiator, one connected with a pan-religious organization. Macey doesn't want to go; he's supposed to be on a honeymoon with his wife, Sheila. But when Macey learns that the murder is connected to a group he was once affiliated with decades earlier, he has to go back, even if it means encountering a part of his past he wishes would stay dead and buried.

I really enjoyed this book, even more than the first in the series. Outerbridge does an excellent job creating a believable futuristic world. Everything that he describes makes sense. That goes both for the cybernetic details and the religious details. Outerbridge spends a lot of time working in details about Islam and it seems that he's done his homework.

I really can't complain about much, but there were two details that bugged me. I had a hard time tracking with the overall plot at times. Outerbridge has put together a very intricate evil scheme for the villain, one that I really didn't understand. I think I understand it now, but there were times when all of the cyber-powered fights and explosions seemed to overwhelm the details. Not horrendously so; I think I've got a handle on it now. But I'm still not entirely sure how everyone relates.

The thing that really bothers me is Macey's wife, Sheila. I did not like her at all in this book. Not even a little. I don't know exactly what it is about her that grates on my nerves so badly, but I winced every time she popped in. Given the fact that I didn't really care for the romantic subplot from the first book, I'm guessing it's related to that.

But overall, this was an excellent book. I'm hoping to go on another Rick Macey adventure soon!