"Prison changed her."

The second in the Nadia Laksheva series, 37 Hours begins with Nadia languishing in a prison for two years after killing two people responsible for bringing the world to the brink of a nuclear war.

When another nuclear threat surfaces, Nadia and her British counterpart and lover, Jake, become involved in a dangerous plot to blow up London masterminded by the elusive Salamander; the same man who has Nadia and Jake on his hit list. Little did Nadia know that a key person from her past would return from the dead to help her understand Salamander's psyche so she can be prepared for the carnage to come.

See my complete review at The Eclectic Review ( )

It has been a while since I have read a really good spy thriller. Yet, Mr. Kirwan has found that niche that I have come to expect and enjoy from spy thrillers. There are a few references to events that appear to have transpired in book one but it is not big enough to take away from the storyline in this book. This book can be read as a stand alone novel. Which is what I did. Although, I enjoyed this book so much that I plan to go back and read book one. Yet, it did take me a few chapters to find my groove with this book, partly due because I had not read the first one.

Nadia can kick some serious butt. Don't get on her bad side. I like that she stayed cool under pressure. When I used to pretend that I was an spy, this is the type of person I imagined that I was. Although, every strong woman does need a man in their lives. Luckily for Nadia she has Jake. He is used to Nadia being gone long periods of time and make coming back with a new scar because he risks his life doing the same type of thing. They are equally balanced and perfect for each other. Yet, their romance did not get in the way of the mission or distract from the story.

There was plenty of action. The introduction of other characters was nice. I was able to quickly figure out who was who and what their role was in the story. The ending is a good lead into the next book. ( )