A nineteen-year-old aspiring model has disappeared in Paris. Her father, Bart Denum, turns to his old friend Hugo Marston for help. Marston, the security chief at the American Embassy, makes some inquiries and quickly realizes something is amiss: Bart’s daughter was not a model, but rather a dancer at a seedy strip club. And she headed to Barcelona with some guy she met at the club. With his friend and former CIA agent, Tom Green, Marston heads for Barcelona. The two sleuths identify the man last seen with the girl, break into his house, and encounter a shocking scene: Bart Denum, standing over the dead and battered body of their mysterious stranger. Though Bart protests his innocence, under the damning circumstances, Spanish authorities arrest him for murder. The two American investigators are faced with their biggest challenge ever: find the real killer, prove Bart’s innocence, and locate his missing daughter—without getting killed along the way. “In The Reluctant Matador, Mark Pryor’s Hugo Marston returns in top form—and that is very good indeed. Pryor is one of the best new voices in crime fiction; and Hugo Marston, one of the most appealing detectives to come along in years.”

—DEBORAH CROMBIE, New York Times–bestselling author of To Dwell in Darkness

Praise for previous Hugo Marston novels:

"Once you've had a bit, you can't wait for more." —OPRAH.com

"The Hugo Marston series now belongs on every espionage fan's watch list." —Booklist

"Enough intrigue to satisfy every reader." —RT Book Reviews