Patrique, the twin brother of Major Pierre Servais, reportedly died while working as a leader in the French Resistance during World War II. But Pierre and his friend, Lieutenant Colonel Jake Burnes, receive mysterious word that Patrique could be alive, somewhere in Morocco. It might be too much to hope that Pierre could recover a lost brother—and also recapture a lost love in the process in Gibraltar Passage, a novel by author T. Davis Bunn.

In this second book in the Rendezvous with Destiny series, most of the story is told from Jake’s perspective, but he’s more of a supporting character this time while Pierre’s situation is at the center. It isn’t a very long novel, but it has key, internal turning points for both men, wrapped up in a tale of allies, enemies, suspense, moments of longing, and flashes of humor. I don’t think I’ve ever read a novel by this author where I wasn’t amazed by some brilliant turns of phrase, and certain spiritual aspects of this story, for which there aren’t really accurate phrases to describe precisely, resonated with me.

Other times, I thought the spiritual content to be a little basic and obvious, almost as if using the story to give pointers like “read your Bible and pray every day” to the reader. Also, even as the novel is historical fiction, it seems at one point as if the story pauses to give something of a history lesson for a few pages. It’s pretty near a slow stretch leading to the book’s climax. Then, quite soon after the climax, though I wouldn’t say the story ends on an utter cliffhanger, the ending is clearly just a breather before whatever is coming next.

Nevertheless, I flat-out came to like Jake and Pierre in the book before this one, and I only became more invested in them here. I’m looking forward to continuing on to Book Three soon. ( )

A single cry from a young refugee shattered Pierre s sorrowful resignation over the fate of his twin brother. Could it be that Patrique, a leader in the French Resistance, had survived an enemy ambush all that time ago? If so, why would he be hiding in Morocco? Racing against assassins and time across Europe and into North Africa, Jake Burnes and Pierre Servais pursue a long-abandoned hope. ( )