Into the Fire — Linda Davies

They say your personality is set at age seven. This is the year Helen Jenks's father left, the day after millions went missing from the bank where he was a director. Helen never gave up her belief in her father, the familiar figure, Proustian smells, his classic BMW she now owned with that familiar smell of aftershave on rainy days, but everyone has doubts . . . and everyone doubts her. Did her heritage drive her to become a major player in the City's dealing rooms, where derivatives players earn millions? The jungle of the City of London leads to the Machu Picchu trail in Peru, where Helen Jenks's heritage becomes entwined with the world's secret intelligence services and the biggest business of all, cocaine. Linda Davies takes you from the world's financial centres to the mountains and jungles of Peru, where the old Incas succumbed to the Conquistadores. And, if you want to know how the City works, read this book. 'A cracking, fast-paced thriller. Excellently researched. I thoroughly enjoyed it.' General Sir Peter de la Billière. 'Excellent depiction of Peru . . . well handled cliff-hanger ending.'' Daily Express.