Doublespeak — Alisa Smith

The followup to the literate and action-packed historical thriller Speakeasy, Doublespeak finds plucky protagonist Lena on a journey back to her past.

Leiutenant Lena Stillman has been left, nearly alone, on her code-breaking base in Alaska. WWII has been over for two months, but while she is under the thumb of the powerful Miss Maggie due to crimes committed a lifetime ago, her choices are limited.

Wracked with guilt over the disappearance of a friend she might have grown to love, Corporal Link Hughes, Lena is determined to find him when she decodes a Russian message containing his name and his potential location: Siam.

Her past seems desperate to catch up with her, and in Siam she finds none other than Bill Bagley -- the man with whom she conducted a tempestuous love affair that led to delinquency and despair. Bill has escaped from prison to become a Siamese business man, now dealing in weapons and drugs. Disgusted with the changes she sees in him, Lena continues to search for Link, but can't help but feel that someone is dogging her footsteps...

Meanwhile, Bill's dark streak has only intensified after his time behind bars, and his newest plan involved not just robbing, but killing. German and Russian spies seem to be everyone, and Lena wonders if her time might be running out.