DC Iona Khan has recently been appointed to the Greater Manchester
Counter Terrorism Unit. On her first case, she thinks it is trivial,
until she gets the details. A shadowy group that explores tunnels under
Manchester has provided information about a man who wanted detailed
information about a particular tunnel near where a Labour Party
conference is going to be held.
She meets with three of the group
who provide her with details of the tunnels. Khan is claustrophobic,
so she has difficulty imagining anyone wanting to explore dark, cramped
tunnels, but she does take the information seriously.
Khan is in
her own, as her partner is at home with an injured disc. She does her
research and finds the name of a person who might be connected to to her
investigation. This leads her to make a connection to Mauritius, where
recently a prominent lord was brutally murdered.
The head of
Khan's unit doesn't give her an immediate go ahead, but she carries on
despite. There are less than 36 hours remaining until the conference
begins. Fortunately within a short time, her senior, Paul Wallace
provides her with more information and gives her the go ahead.
As
her investigation progresses, evidence points to an attack on the
conference. Her former boyfriend helps out while off duty. As Khan
gathers more evidence, the reality of an extreme attack looms ever more
so.
As I read the prologue, I wasn't sure that I was going to
enjoy this mystery. However, within a short time of starting Chapter
One, I was hooked. This is an exciting read that I could not put
down! Author Chris Simms has written an excellent thriller, which I
highly recommend.
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Shadow of the Past
It is 1811, and Sir Marcus Bramhall and his family have come to live
with his aunt, Lady Chase. Sir Marcus regards her as a dowager, with no
family, and he thinks he will automatically inherit her estate. Lady
Chase believes that her son is still alive, somewhere in Europe despite
not having heard from him. She confides as much in the parish priest,
Tobias Campion.
The weather is atrocious, it has been raining for some time now. So, when the sun finally breaks through Campion takes the opportunity for a walk. To his shock and horror, the governess of Sir Marcus' daughters and they discover a body floating in the brook. Dr. Hansard is happy to report that the man is not the son of Lady Chase. Campion is shocked to find that the governess has decamped when he and Mrs. Hansard go to check on her well being.
Hansard and Campion explore the area where the body was found. A pouch containing a ring is found bearing the initials of Lady Chase's late husband. Is this a sign that her son is dead or alive? They set off to London in search of more information. Hoping to discover the whereabouts of the missing governess, they end up finding Hugo, Lady Chase's son. All is not well with Hugo. As they investigate further, violence and intrigue ensue.
Author Judith Cutler gives the reader a number of possible culprits before presenting the real villain. An enjoyable historical mystery.
The weather is atrocious, it has been raining for some time now. So, when the sun finally breaks through Campion takes the opportunity for a walk. To his shock and horror, the governess of Sir Marcus' daughters and they discover a body floating in the brook. Dr. Hansard is happy to report that the man is not the son of Lady Chase. Campion is shocked to find that the governess has decamped when he and Mrs. Hansard go to check on her well being.
Hansard and Campion explore the area where the body was found. A pouch containing a ring is found bearing the initials of Lady Chase's late husband. Is this a sign that her son is dead or alive? They set off to London in search of more information. Hoping to discover the whereabouts of the missing governess, they end up finding Hugo, Lady Chase's son. All is not well with Hugo. As they investigate further, violence and intrigue ensue.
Author Judith Cutler gives the reader a number of possible culprits before presenting the real villain. An enjoyable historical mystery.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Never Apologise, Never Explain
Agatha Mills has been beaten to death from a blow to the head in her own
kitchen. Inspector John Carlyle immediately suspects it is her
husband, however, he claims to have been asleep at the time. He says it
could only have been her enemies, in fact the Chilean secret police.
Carlyle also is concerned about the abduction of a little boy by his drug pushing father. He is unsure if the lad is still even alive. He is then asked by a woman news reader to check into a man that is stalking her.
His interest in the murder case is waning, so he charges the husband with the murder. However, moments after doing that, his sergeant, Joe Szyszkowski comes in with documents that show that the husband could well be telling the truth. The victim's brother disappeared during the military coup in 1973, and she had been pestering the Chileans since. The husband commits suicide before he can be tried. Case solved, or is it?
Sometime later the news reader is found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. The police are unsure as to what happened.
Carlyle begins to find evidence of rogue Chilean army personnel operating in Iraq. The deaths of two young people could well be tied in to the death of the original murder victim. A young woman comes forward to Carlyle with information on a man who is working in the Chilean embassy. It isn't long before she is dead, too.
Author James Craig presents a twisted and volatile murder mystery full of international intrigue within the city of London. There were times that I was reading, that I wondered what the relevance of what had been written had to the story. However, all-in-all a good read.
Carlyle also is concerned about the abduction of a little boy by his drug pushing father. He is unsure if the lad is still even alive. He is then asked by a woman news reader to check into a man that is stalking her.
His interest in the murder case is waning, so he charges the husband with the murder. However, moments after doing that, his sergeant, Joe Szyszkowski comes in with documents that show that the husband could well be telling the truth. The victim's brother disappeared during the military coup in 1973, and she had been pestering the Chileans since. The husband commits suicide before he can be tried. Case solved, or is it?
Sometime later the news reader is found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs. The police are unsure as to what happened.
Carlyle begins to find evidence of rogue Chilean army personnel operating in Iraq. The deaths of two young people could well be tied in to the death of the original murder victim. A young woman comes forward to Carlyle with information on a man who is working in the Chilean embassy. It isn't long before she is dead, too.
Author James Craig presents a twisted and volatile murder mystery full of international intrigue within the city of London. There were times that I was reading, that I wondered what the relevance of what had been written had to the story. However, all-in-all a good read.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Dark Entry
Christopher Marlowe
is just about to graduate from Cambridge. His good friend Ralph
Whitingside has been missing for two days. He and his friends set about
looking for him. Marlowe discovers Whitingside dead in his own bed.
Before getting away, Marlowe takes some papers he finds in Whitingside's
flat.
Marlowe doesn't agree with the coroner's inquest that determined Whitingside's death was a suicide. Marlowe is sent to London to consult with John Dee, advisor to Queen Elizabeth. Based on Marlowe's description of the body, he thinks that Whitingside had been poisoned with a tincture of foxglove. Dee hopes to get answers from the corpse.
Another of Marlowe's friends is found dead upon his and Dee's return to Cambridge. Henry Bromerick was a young man Marlowe had hoped to graduate with. He has died in the same manner as Whitingside.
Meanwhile, Robert Greene is set on doing damage to Marlowe, by any means possible. Francis Hall has also come to town in search of Marlowe. Hall is someone that Marlowe doesn't know.
At the same time, Marlowe accidentally discovers that Whitingside's journal is written, not in code, but rather in a mirror image. He and his two compatriots come to the realisation that there were once five of them, and two are now dead. It appears that the remaining three are destined to die, too for some unknown reason. How will Marlowe prevent this from happening?
Author M. J. Trow has several twists and turns in this novel before the reader finds out the actual culprit. A quick, but good read.
Marlowe doesn't agree with the coroner's inquest that determined Whitingside's death was a suicide. Marlowe is sent to London to consult with John Dee, advisor to Queen Elizabeth. Based on Marlowe's description of the body, he thinks that Whitingside had been poisoned with a tincture of foxglove. Dee hopes to get answers from the corpse.
Another of Marlowe's friends is found dead upon his and Dee's return to Cambridge. Henry Bromerick was a young man Marlowe had hoped to graduate with. He has died in the same manner as Whitingside.
Meanwhile, Robert Greene is set on doing damage to Marlowe, by any means possible. Francis Hall has also come to town in search of Marlowe. Hall is someone that Marlowe doesn't know.
At the same time, Marlowe accidentally discovers that Whitingside's journal is written, not in code, but rather in a mirror image. He and his two compatriots come to the realisation that there were once five of them, and two are now dead. It appears that the remaining three are destined to die, too for some unknown reason. How will Marlowe prevent this from happening?
Author M. J. Trow has several twists and turns in this novel before the reader finds out the actual culprit. A quick, but good read.
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Crowner's Crusade
1192 AD and Richard the Lionheart has decided to return home from his
crusade in the holy land. Included in his retinue are John de Wolfe and
his friend Gwyn, both looking forward to getting home to England.
Richard's trip home is not easy. He and his followers experience two shipwrecks before landing at the north end of the Adriatic. Richard's wealth allows him to buy horses for transport. Richard wants to return to Normandy so that he can prevent the French king from taking it. However, there are numerous leaders in Europe who want to prevent Richard from making it home.
As they progress across Europe, the band is depleted until only John and Gwyn remain. Richard becomes ill, and while John and Gwyn are out getting food, Richard is captured. Phillip of France could now invade Normandy.
John and Gwyn return home; Gwyn happy in his marriage, John not. However, John finds his wealth has grown while he was away. He is able to invest some of it in an inn, which a former colleague owned. Unfortunately he has died, and his wife Nesta has fallen on hard times.
John spends some time at his brother's after returning. On his way back to Exeter he discovers a body. The body has a ring on it that signifies he was likely a king's messenger. Why was he slain? John and Gwyn head to London to meet with a friend of theirs, whom they had fought alongside in Palestine; now the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Their investigation is successful at rooting out the troublemakers. They also help to rid the area of some outlaws. Because of the poor relationship with his wife, John eventually takes a mistress. Eventually, when Richard is ransomed, he appoints John as coroner for the county.
Author Bernard Knight's prequel to the "Crowner" series is well written and paced. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Richard's trip home is not easy. He and his followers experience two shipwrecks before landing at the north end of the Adriatic. Richard's wealth allows him to buy horses for transport. Richard wants to return to Normandy so that he can prevent the French king from taking it. However, there are numerous leaders in Europe who want to prevent Richard from making it home.
As they progress across Europe, the band is depleted until only John and Gwyn remain. Richard becomes ill, and while John and Gwyn are out getting food, Richard is captured. Phillip of France could now invade Normandy.
John and Gwyn return home; Gwyn happy in his marriage, John not. However, John finds his wealth has grown while he was away. He is able to invest some of it in an inn, which a former colleague owned. Unfortunately he has died, and his wife Nesta has fallen on hard times.
John spends some time at his brother's after returning. On his way back to Exeter he discovers a body. The body has a ring on it that signifies he was likely a king's messenger. Why was he slain? John and Gwyn head to London to meet with a friend of theirs, whom they had fought alongside in Palestine; now the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Their investigation is successful at rooting out the troublemakers. They also help to rid the area of some outlaws. Because of the poor relationship with his wife, John eventually takes a mistress. Eventually, when Richard is ransomed, he appoints John as coroner for the county.
Author Bernard Knight's prequel to the "Crowner" series is well written and paced. A thoroughly enjoyable read.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
World Without End
It is now the 14th Century in Knightsbridge; two centuries after the
building of the cathedral. A group of young people spy a knight
fighting for his life in the forest. They help him and thereby entwine
their lives for the next several decades.
In this sequel to Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" the young people from various different walks of life grow up in the area of the great cathedral. They fall in love, battle with one another and have children. Life is not easy, but each becomes successful in his or her own way.
Merthin becomes a master builder; the love of his life, Caris is forced into the nunnery to escape being hung for witchcraft. Merthin's brother Ralph starts out as a squire to an earl, but earns a knighthood. Their friend Gwenda lives the life of a serf, but manages to charm the man that she loves, Wulfric. For all of them, life revolves in one way or another around the cathedral.
Life is not easy for any of them, each having a variety of trials and tribulations, the biggest of which is the plague, which kills thousands. How will they survive this devastating pestilence? Will it be prayer and superstition or healthy practises?
Follett has written an intriguing novel of life in the 14th Century. For fans of historical novels, it will be hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
In this sequel to Ken Follett's "The Pillars of the Earth" the young people from various different walks of life grow up in the area of the great cathedral. They fall in love, battle with one another and have children. Life is not easy, but each becomes successful in his or her own way.
Merthin becomes a master builder; the love of his life, Caris is forced into the nunnery to escape being hung for witchcraft. Merthin's brother Ralph starts out as a squire to an earl, but earns a knighthood. Their friend Gwenda lives the life of a serf, but manages to charm the man that she loves, Wulfric. For all of them, life revolves in one way or another around the cathedral.
Life is not easy for any of them, each having a variety of trials and tribulations, the biggest of which is the plague, which kills thousands. How will they survive this devastating pestilence? Will it be prayer and superstition or healthy practises?
Follett has written an intriguing novel of life in the 14th Century. For fans of historical novels, it will be hard to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Sorrow Without End
A man returning home from the Crusades has been murdered not far from
the priory run by Eleanor. Crowner Ralf has brought the body to the
priory because the knife used to kill the man comes from Arabia, and he
wants Sister Anne to have a look at the dead man.
No one knows it, but the murderer has also arrived at the priory. Also just arrived at the priory is Brother Thomas, the man that Prioress Eleanor lusts for. Thomas is asked by Ralf to examine the body with Sister Anne. Upon seeing the face of the deceased, Thomas collapses. Ralf wonders why, and takes Thomas into custody.
Eleanor and Anne are upset at Thomas' imprisonment, but Thomas will say nothing to gain his own freedom. Meanwhile, the murderer is free, but suffering an agony of his own making. When one of the nuns is attacked while at a lone prayer vigil, fear strikes the priory.
Meantime, Brother Matthew and Sister Ruth are trying to convince Eleanor to purchase a relic of a saint in order to draw pilgrims to the priory. Eleanor suspects that this is Matthew's attempt to convince the monks to elect him as prior.
The prime suspect has disappeared, and shortly afterwards one of the hospital's patients is found murdered. Surprisingly, it is Crowner Ralf who discovers the solutions to the crimes occurring at and near the priory. Another good, quick read.
No one knows it, but the murderer has also arrived at the priory. Also just arrived at the priory is Brother Thomas, the man that Prioress Eleanor lusts for. Thomas is asked by Ralf to examine the body with Sister Anne. Upon seeing the face of the deceased, Thomas collapses. Ralf wonders why, and takes Thomas into custody.
Eleanor and Anne are upset at Thomas' imprisonment, but Thomas will say nothing to gain his own freedom. Meanwhile, the murderer is free, but suffering an agony of his own making. When one of the nuns is attacked while at a lone prayer vigil, fear strikes the priory.
Meantime, Brother Matthew and Sister Ruth are trying to convince Eleanor to purchase a relic of a saint in order to draw pilgrims to the priory. Eleanor suspects that this is Matthew's attempt to convince the monks to elect him as prior.
The prime suspect has disappeared, and shortly afterwards one of the hospital's patients is found murdered. Surprisingly, it is Crowner Ralf who discovers the solutions to the crimes occurring at and near the priory. Another good, quick read.
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