Auffenorde’s suspenseful short story continues the Prometheus Saga, a cycle of short stories by a number of different authors. Each tale provides a separate entry point into the overarching narrative, in which the alien entity known as Prometheus spies on humankind and sometimes benevolently interferes. In this installment, CIA operative Jordan Jakes (the heroine of Auffenorde’s novel The Libra Affair) hopes to intercept a terrorist attack by a pro-Russian Ukrainian group at an international summit meeting in Dubai. Jakes is a lively and witty narrator with the wits and skills of James Bond, and readers will savor her fresh perspective on being a woman in the male-dominated spy world. Auffenorde includes excessive descriptive details that aren’t relevant to the plot, but the writing is otherwise crisp and fast-paced, and the story provides an absorbing glimpse into the world of high-stakes political intrigue. (Jan.)