The Informationist

The Informationist by Taylor Stevens

If you have been lamenting the loss of Stieg Larsson and his "one of a kind" female protaganist, Lisbeth Salander, you will find some satisfaction in Taylor Stevens' first novel, The Informationist.  Her female protaganist, Vanessa (Michael) Munroe, is a breath of fresh air.  She is an informationist and a linguist with the ability to blend into any country and obtain the knowledge sought by her high-paying clients.  Her client in this case is a distraught father, whose daughter has gone missing while traveling in Africa.

Vanessa Michael Munroe is both beautiful and androgynous at the same time. She is a chameleon by nature.  To some she is Munroe, to others, she can pass herself off as the boy Michael and to a select few, she is Nessa.  She has an encyclopedic mind, that stores, sorts and processes information.  Taylor Stevens has penned a fast-paced, gripping, edgy mystery with a heroine you will come to admire and respect.  As a huge fan of Larsson's heroine, Lisbeth Salander, it was exciting to run into another volatile and exotic female character, that will leave you wanting to learn more about her, just as Larsson did in his masterful Millennium trilogy.  I immediately went out and bought Stevens' next Vanessa Munroe thriller, The Innocent.  Stay tuned for that review.  Hopefully a studio will pick up the rights to these books.