I’ll be sad when I finally catch up on the Manny Martinez (code name “Sinatra”) books. I’m sure there’ll be another entry in the Mackenzie August constellation of series soon, but I always miss them when there isn’t one waiting for me.

Manny Martinez, you may recall, is a Puerto Rican-born US Marshal. He is ridiculously handsome, has excellent taste in clothes, cars, and drinks, and loves America excessively. From time to time he is summoned for extra duty by a secretive government agency, and he and his innocent Mormon partner Noelle Beck fly off to have James Bond-style adventures.

In Desert Eagle, the job is supposed to be simple, though far from their usual stomping grounds. They’re supposed to fly to Abu Dhabi and pick up an American academic who, according to intelligence, has been targeted by Houthi terrorists for kidnap and execution.

Needless to say, it wouldn’t be an adventure if everything went to plan. The academic is snatched from under their noses, and soon Manny and Noelle are headed across the desert, assisted only begrudgingly by the Abu Dhabi government. Fortunately, they are able to join forces with an old pair of allies/rivals – independent agents Bronwen and Junior (Manny and Bronwen have major sexual chemistry, which is always a hoot).

Heroics ensue.

Desert Eagle, like all its predecessors, was lots of fun. The ending was bittersweet, though.

I recommend it, of course, with cautions for language and mature situations.