Back Sun (Danielle Laidlaw #2)

Black Sun by Graham Brown is the second book in his Danielle Laidlaw series. Laidlaw works for a branch of the US government, the NRI, that is like the science and technology CIA. They find, steal, or create new technology before other countries can use it against us.

Two years after Laidlaw risked her life in the Amazon and recovered a stone that seems to create energy, she is pulled back into the agency from retirement. Professor McCarter, who was with her in the Amazon, is going after other parts of the Mayan prophecy that tells of a major change (not destruction) in the world in December 2012.

While Danielle and McCarter are in Mexico at a Mayan sculpture deep in the wilderness, they are attacked by a group of Chinese men. Danielle is captured and taken to Hong Kong to a "business" man who sent the team.

With a stone in US custody that seems to be counting down to December 21, 2012 at 5:32 pm, and Danielle - the only one who may be able to figure out what the count down is leading to, the head of the NRI begs ex-CIA agent Hawker to break Danielle out of Hong Kong and find McCarter in Mexico - all in the next week before the potential end of the world.

Brown has taken ancient Mayan legend and created a contemporary thriller that will keep readers on edge until the last page.

Brown, Graham. (2010). Black Sun. New York: Bantam Books.