This is the second of Drake’s Daniel Leary/Adele Mundy series, and though
I enjoyed it well enough on second reading, I found that it dragged a bit.
A ripping yarn, yes, but a bit slow to get going. The general outlines
of the plot are similar to the previous book; Leary is sent to a
nominally friendly place where the Alliance is secretly busy, and Leary
saves the day with a big win against great odds due to equal parts of luck,
talent, skill, and bullheaded determination. There’s a fair amount of
political intrigue that goes on toward the beginning, resulting in a
surprising zoological discovery on Leary’s part that I expect will have
long term repercussions as the series progresses; but on the other hand,
it had little enough to do with the present story.

So, good fun; but Drake can do better.