The Milan Contract by Stephan Franks kept me on the edge of my couch for the entire book. It is full of action and intrigue. The book starts with Lukas Stolz stepping outside of his hotel one sunny morning and getting gunned down. His death looks cut and dry, a mugging that went wrong. But suddenly people go missing, end up dead, and henchmen are searching the streets for people. Maybe this isn't a mugging gone wrong after all.   

Lieutenant Raphael Conza doesn’t think this case makes any sense. Nothing is adding up, the evidence is not where it is supposed to be, and he’s rushing to find out who the witness was so he can keep her safe. Young, Nyala Abebe, doesn’t know what she saw, nor does it make sense. What she does know, is that someone is trying to find her. As she tries to keep her family and loved ones safe, she struggles with what is right and wrong. She agrees to help Lt. Conza, but only if he promises to listen to the whole story before he jumps to conclusions. Lt. Conza finds himself reaching out to old colleagues and traveling to other countries to try to make sense of what he has been told and the videos he has seen. What does one do when the story or evidence doesn’t match the facts in front of you?  

My favorite character has to be Lt Conza. He follows his gut instinct and keeps his promises. He does not stop searching for the truth, even when his job and life are on the line. He steps out of the box if only for a short time, to find the truth, the murderers, and the history behind why everything came about. He is the type of friend and colleague everyone wants.  

I am awarding this book 5 stars. It is well-written and well-edited. It does contain some profanity. As a history lover myself, I loved that it flashed back in time with true historical facts. I was a child who lived in Germany on November 9, 1989, when the wall came down. That also happens to be my birthday so it was a double celebration for me and my family. I highly recommend this book to mature readers who love intrigue and history written into one book.