Firefly by Henry Porter

He is a man who is employed to ‘find people.’ Out of the game for awhile, Paul Samson is asked to work the case of a young Syrian refugee who has seen too much. From Turkey to Greece to Macedonia, young Naji is running from a group of terrorists and needs help, but what is Samson’s employer’s priority? Do they want to catch the terrorists or help the boy?  Henry Porter’s Firefly is an exceptional modern thriller that highlights one of the major issues of our time: the displaced people of the world who flee evil regimes.

The narrative is told from alternating 3rd person point of views of Paul and Naji, two characters Porter crafts with well-conceived backgrounds. Paul is a Lebanese-British man who survived the migrant trail himself. He’s an educated man whose history in the spy game and as a consultant is cloudy, but we know enough to trust his instincts. Naji a young man of about 16 who must fight all the obstacles on his journey: bribes, theft, broken families, and racism. He’s a borderline genius who has the drive and brains to help himself through the tightest situations.

Firefly is a book that relies on some pretty slim coincidence at times, but isn’t that what a story like this needs? All tough cases are cracked with evidence, persistence, and a little luck. Porter’s thriller is a story that starts quickly and never lets up. If you like the Reachers and Ryans of the thriller world, this is one you won’t want to miss.

Caution: Some of the subject matter is pretty rough. Human trafficking is discussed in some detail.

4 out of 5 stars

Releases on October 2nd

Thank you to NetGalley, Grove Atlantic, and Henry Porter for the advanced copy for review.