The War Widow #TaraMoss #TheWarWidow

By Tara Moss https://www.taramoss.com/ @Tara_Moss

Published by Verve Books https://www.vervebooks.co.uk/index.php @VERVE_Books

317 pages ISBN 9780857308672

Publication date 7 March 2024

I was sent a paperback copy in exchange for a fair review. I would like to thank Lisa at the publisher and of course, the author for making it available.

The Cover

Light and dark, hints of glamour and mystery, it’s a very striking cover that’s perfect for the story.

My review

Its 1946 and war correspondent Billie Walker is back home in Sydney after seeing the horrors of war in Europe. Life has changed though, her father is dead, her journalist husband Jack is missing presumed dead in Europe, and the newspapers are now giving priority for jobs to male soldiers. The new world of opportunity and respect for women is now over. They are expected to go back to what they were doing before the war, to give up new-found independence and leave the work to men.

Billie is reluctant to give up such freedoms lightly and decides to revive her late father’s business, a private investigation agency. She is determined to prove that a woman can flourish in this man’s world.

Initially business is slow, consisting mainly of women asking for proof of their husband’s infidelity, dirty work but necessary at a time when obtaining a divorce was difficult. Barely scratching a living, she needs a proper case to prove her mettle and show she can match the men in the profession. When a woman asks Billie to find her son, what appears to be a simple case leads her to a dark and dangerous underworld hidden just beneath Sydney’s high society life. Billie thought she had left the war behind, but has it left her?

Australian and New Zealand based crime fiction is proving to be very popular, and rightly so there are some fabulous writers out there. So, a chance to review a period piece of Aussie crime was not to be missed for this reviewer, who enjoyed this book immensely. Clearly a great deal of research and effort has gone into giving it the authentic feel that it has, without over embellishments slowing down the flow. The simple things are observed, almost everyone wears a hat and men wear suits, but also the things people would try to forget, the damaged ex-service men who try to cover scars and wear gloves to hid missing fingers. So, prepare to journey back to 1946.

The plot is linear, with two strands that eventually come together with a touch of finesse but then turns after a clever reveal, which makes the story altogether more complex, rather than being too obvious from the start. The pacing is brisk, even frenetic at times but never becomes simplistic or one dimensional, retaining a clarity throughout. Thriller fans are going to love the action which is interspersed throughout the storyline, with Billie and assistant Sam barely having chance to get their breath back before the next incident. There’s real danger and jeopardy introduced at times and some great fight scenes with a female perspective. This is the sort of book you will tell yourself just one more chapter…

Billie Walker is shaping up to be a fabulous character, she is determined and courageous but also impulsive and quite reckless. This reckless streak means she can find herself in danger within the blink of an eye, which promises the reader plenty of entertainment. She may be doing a ‘man’s job’ but she is feminine and glamorous, with her couture lovingly described, even down to the hand sewn garter that holds her mother-of-pearl gripped pistol. She is also a bit of a petrolhead, she has a Willys 77 Roadster that she drives fast, so expect car chases at up to 50mph! The spirit of V. I. Warshawski within Australia’s next top model, a formidable detective.

The supporting characters manage to add some great contrasts; there’s Billie’s mother the Baroness Ella who has fallen on (comparative) hard times, Billie’s young aboriginal friend Shyla and Sam the young, strong assistant who lost fingers thanks to an Italian thermos bomb (Italian grenade). The villains are particularly nasty.   

Billie is ‘The War Widow’ who still longs for Jack and prays that he is still alive, but she is also an attractive woman in the prime of her life, providing a lovely dilemma for the reader. Will flirting and sexual chemistry lead to more, I guess we shall see. Either way the story sets up some great situations for our headstrong PI to go bulldozing through to the consternation to the men around her. Here is a woman who can manage perfectly on her own, one who is determined to hold onto the liberation the war brought, a true feminist.

It is very much an Australian story though, as the reader keeps getting little reminders, be it kangaroos holding up traffic, escaped crocodiles (read the author’s acknowledgements) or the rural police station. There is also an acknowledgement of the suffering of indigenous peoples which is crucial to the plot which is sensitively handled.    

There’s plenty of nods to the golden age of the 1930s US hardboiled PI, but it doesn’t stray into homage territory but does stay faithful to the genre and certainly retains a touch of Noir about it. There are a couple of enjoyable cliches, of the type we would expect, but it retains its sense of individuality throughout.

The War Widow is a gripping private eye adventure, so evocative of the period in which it is set, with a very individual female lead and a hard edge. A fabulous series set up; I for one hope there are more novels to come.

The War Widow can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Tara Moss is an internationally bestselling author, passionate and inspiring chronic pain and disability advocate, human rights activist, documentary and podcast host and former model. Her crime novels have been published in nineteen countries and thirteen languages, and her memoir, The Fictional Woman, was a #1 international bestseller. Moss is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and has received the Edna Ryan Award for significant contributions to feminist debate and for speaking out on behalf of women and children. In 2017, she was recognised as one of the Global Top 50 Diversity Figures in Public Life. The Ghosts of Paris, the second Billie Walker mystery, will be published by VERVE Books in autumn 2024.

Source: Publisher’s website

Killing Moon #JoNesbø #KillingMoon

By Jo Nesbø https://jonesbo.com/

Translated by Seán Kinsella

Narrated by Sean Barrett

Published by Vintage Digital @vintagebooks (an Imprint of Penguin Books) https://www.penguin.co.uk/ @PenguinUKBooks

576 pages (16 hours 9 minutes) ISBN 9781529900422 (AB) 9781529920505 (PB)

Publication date 25 May 2023

Killing Moon Is book thirteen in the Harry Hole series.

I reviewed the audiobook version purchased from Audible. https://www.audible.co.uk/ @audibleuk

The cover

Not exactly unique but a nice cover that manages to include some of the central aspects of the story.

The narration

My favourite audiobook narrator and I couldn’t imagine anyone else being the voice of Harry Hole.

My review

Jeffrey Bernard’s Low Life column in The Spectator magazine was famously described by Jonathan Meades as “a suicide note in weekly instalments” as he chronicled his life spent drinking in and around Soho. A lifestyle that would lead to an early grave and the notice ‘Jeffrey Bernard is unwell’ when he was incapable of filing his copy. In the recent novels in this wonderful series Harry Hole’s life appears to be following as similar trajectory.

We find Harry washed up and drinking in the kind of bar that looks interesting on the big screen, that is anything but in real life. Having lost everything important in his life and sacked from the force, he is about as far away from Oslo as he can get, in Los Angeles, and is trying to do a ‘Leaving Las Vegas’ and literally drink himself to death. He is close to the bottom but not quite there, a maxed-out credit card leads to a drink bought by an old former actress, a debt of honour and an unexpected return to Oslo.

Two young women have been gone missing, their only connection being that they attended the same party given by a notorious businessman. When the body of one woman is found he feels under intense scrutiny and asks his lawyer to help him. He is told that Harry Hole is the one to solve the case, he is far better than anyone in the police force.

This gives Harry the chance to ‘get the band back together’ for one last tour; well his motley crew of crime crackers which consists of a drug dealing taxi driver, a mendacious police officer who is nicknamed Beavis and currently suspended, and a psychologist with late stage pancreatic cancer. Those familiar with the series will instantly recognise the lineup.

If you are unfamiliar with the series then this is not a starting point, you may well still enjoy the story but a greater idea of the back story of Harry’s career is essential to understand the relevance of much that happens. Here is a man now seemingly becoming the centre of an almost Shakespearean style tragedy with no one to stop him.

The plot is mazy and crazy, which is par for the course with this series, and just when you think you are nearly there, there is one more turn, and then another. Regimentally planned or made up as he goes along, who knows, but it is wonderful storytelling. No matter how implausible the plot, which is certainly the product of an overactive imagination (or dare I say it disturbed mind) the strands always knit together to make some kind of sense.

The writing is as dark as winter in the North of Norway, with a wonderful sense of the macabre and a sparingly used pitch-black humour, which is just what we have come to expect. The translator is new to the series (the bulk being translated by Don Bartlett) and does a fine job in making the prose flow.

Harry is one of the greatest troubled cops of the genre, a simply magnificent creation who the reader is drawn to, he’s not exactly good or likeable but is impossible to ignore. Plagued throughout with depression and cursed by alcoholism, we find him at rock-bottom but still looking for redemption, or rather a variant of a Messiah Complex seeking to absorb and atone for the sins of others.

The supporting characters are well developed, provide a great foil for Harry, but also so much more as the author uses them to explore modern attitudes within Scandinavia. They are also the source of humour and the typical male arguments such as was Ringo Starr a better drummer than Keith Moon.

Harry is not exactly a misogynist but women who come into his orbit often fare badly, both physically and emotionally, yet he still manages to draw them in, like flies into a trap. A little surprising considering his now poor condition and the livid scar running from the hinge of his jaw to the corner of his mouth (read The Leopard for an explanation).  Whilst they may suffer somewhat the female characters are always integral to the plot.

With any long running series there is the risk of it going on too long, such that returns become diminishing, and for me it is better to end on a high rather than spoil the legacy. Halfway through Killing Moon I posed the question to myself, after a gap of four years since Knife was it wise to return, but in the end, it was a resounding yes. There is still life in Harry as a character, whilst it may not be the absolute peak of the series it is still very good and thoroughly enjoyable. The ending is left open and I think there may well be one more outing for Harry.    

Killing Moon returns Harry Hole from the depths of alcoholic despair to face another deranged killer. Mad, bad and deadly, just what the reader has come to expect.

Killing Moon can be purchased via the publisher’s website here

The author

Jo Nesbo is one of the world’s bestselling crime writers. When commissioned to write a memoir about life on the road with his band, Di Derre, he instead came up with the plot for his first Harry Hole crime novel, The Bat. His books The Leopard, Phantom, Police, The Son, The Thirst, Macbeth and Knife have all since topped the Sunday Times charts. He’s an international number one bestseller and his books are published in 50 languages, selling over 55 million copies around the world.

Source: Publisher’s website

The translator

Seán Kinsella was born in Dublin and holds an MPhil in literary translation from Trinity College Dublin. He has translated works by Åsne Seierstad and Stig Sæterbakken, among others. His translations have been long-listed for both the Best Translated Book Award and International Dublin Literary Award. He lives in Norway.

Sources: Books From Norway website

The narrator

 Barrett (born 4 May 1940 in Hampstead, London, England, UK) is an English actor and voice actor.
In the early 1980s, Barrett went on to voice acting. He has performed the voices of Tik-Tok in Return to Oz, a Goblin in Labyrinth, Big Mac and other characters in TUGS, Thadius Vent’s soothsayer Goodtooth in Oscar’s Orchestra, Melchoir in the English dubbed version of the Lapitch the Little Shoemaker TV series, Roly the Pineapple in the English version of The Fruities and UrSu the Dying Master and UrZah the Ritual-Guardian in The Dark Crystal as well as additional characters in two video games The Feeble Files and Viking: Battle for Asgard. He also provided the voice for Captain Orion in Star Fleet, the English version of the 1980s Japanese puppet series X-Bomber.

He also narrated Fair Ground!, Timewatch and Dark Towers for BBC, dubbed voices in many anime films such as Roujin Z, Cyber City Oedo 808 and Dominion: Tank Police and has done voices for several audiobooks and radio stations.

In 1996, he was the narrator for the Channel 4 documentary series, Black Box. The series primarily concentrated on commercial aviation accidents, and the investigations related to them.

Barrett also worked as part of an ADR Loop Group on Aardman’s first computer-animated film Flushed Away, a voice director on Lapitch the Little Shoemaker and a dialogue director on The Fruities. He has also narrated episodes of the BBC TV series People’s Century and Dancing in the Street, as well as a number of BBC nature documentaries in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In 2011, he voiced Andre of Astora, Petrus of Thorolund and Ingward in Dark Souls.

Source: Goodreads profile

Death Flight #SarahSultoon #DeathFlight

By Sarah Sultoon @SultoonSarah

Published by Orenda Books https://orendabooks.co.uk/ @OrendaBooks

Publishing date 29 February 2024

300 pages ISBN 9781916788015

Death Flight is the second novel in the Jonny Murphy Files series.

I was sent an electronic copy to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Anne at Random Things Tours @RandomTTours for the invitation to participate and of course the Author and the Publisher.

The cover

A cracking cover. At first glance a potential reader might think ‘oh there’s going to be a plane crash.’ However, this is much more specific and in fact the title refers to one of many death flights that were carried out in Argentina’s dark military past. Interesting producing the cover in landscape and then turning it on its side rather than being a wrap around.

Pete’s ponderings

To those of us of a certain vintage, mention South America as a continent and three things immediately spring to mind. World Cup victories, financial meltdowns and murderous military Juntas, all occurring at regular intervals from the beginning of the twentieth century. Death Flight centres on two of these and as Meatloaf sang “two out of three ain’t bad.” So strap yourself in because there is a bumpy flight ahead and it’s not due to turbulence.

My review

Its 1998 and novice reporter Jonny Murphy is in Buenos Aires covering the current financial crisis for the International Tribune. He is being supported by freelance photographer Paloma Glenn.

When a human body is washed up on a beach on the outskirts of the city, Jonny gets a tip off from the local police. It’s not much more than a torso, with all identifying features removed, the only distinguishing mark as a clue to the identity is a distinctive tattoo on the chest. Once, during the ‘Dirty War’ such bodies occasionally washed up on the beaches, these victims being thrown out of aeroplanes, sometimes alive, disposed of miles out to sea, but currents can be fickle. This body has recently killed though, and the Dirty War ended fifteen years ago. So why was this method of disposal used, to send a message? That there has been no press reporting of the body grabs Jonny’s attention. He thinks there could be a bigger story here than in the financial crisis. Jonny does what all great journalists do, asks questions and digs for answers. Finding the families of the missing isn’t too taxing; the mothers and grandmothers congregate weekly in a central square demanding answers. Jonny and Paloma are determined to help, but at what personal cost?

A bold story, based on a painful past, written with tact and flair. A past that some would rather bury, whilst others can never forget, is going to be cathartic and one hopes that the twenty-five years that have passed will have allowed for some healing.

To mangle the old football cliché this is a book of two halves, the first being the digging around for clues, the second being when they are on the right track. This makes it a two-speed storyline which starts off brisk before exploding into action.

The first half is one of discovery, for the reader and Jonny, as he navigates life in 1998 Buenos Aires. The financial crisis is starting to bite, people are becoming desperate which is reflected in their everyday life. Even so there are still those who are doing everything they can to help their fellow man, epitomised by the old man who gives Jonny refuge. The painful reality of what his life has become is heart rending but sensitively told, if he doesn’t do it then will anyone. The plight of the disappeared and those who preserved their memory is portrayed with a mixture of stoicism and grief, that hammers home what is means to these unfortunate people. Having a son or daughter disappeared is possibly more damaging to the families than them just being murdered. There remains a faint hope and it’s the hope that kills you, like a painful sore, that allows for no closure or chance of moving on.

The second half by way of contrast is good old fashioned action thriller. There’s danger and jeopardy as our heroes ‘jump out of the frying pan into the fire’ along with a chase and a race against time. The central reveal comes before an exciting finale as the long simmering city erupts with the kind of lawlessness and brutality that rolling news made its name on.  

The standout part of the prose for me was the level of mistrust, which was magnificently kept running throughout. There is the constant nagging feelings of doubt, of suspicion, of ulterior motives at play. We have two central characters who work together but never really trust each other, or anyone else for that matter. Their smallest actions have the reader thinking there may be more to that action than first appears, that betrayal might be around the corner. This must have been what it was like to live under the Junta rule, where the wrong word to, or to trust the wrong person, could lead to denouncement and imprisonment or death. There is a cold pervading fear throughout.

Jonny and Paloma work so well as a central duo because they have that sense of being opposites, such that the reader wonders whether opposites will eventually attract. Deep down though they have something that ties them together, a painful past. With Jonny it is what happened following his parents separating, the grandparents he only now getting to know and the search for the twin sister he never knew he had. For Paloma it’s the battle of herself against her sense of identity, that sends many adopted people in search of their birth parents. At some point they will both have to face off against their demons.

Dead Flight is a fabulous mixture of frantic action and deep intrigue set against a nation’s shameful past.

Death Flight can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The Author

Sarah Sultoon is a journalist and writer, whose work as an international news executive at CNN has taken her all over the world, from the seats of power in both Westminster and Washington to the
frontlines of Iraq and Afghanistan. She has extensive experience in conflict zones, winning three Peabody awards for her work on the war in Syria, an Emmy for her contribution to the coverage of Europe’s migrant crisis in 2015, and a number of Royal Television Society gongs. When not reading
or writing she can usually be found somewhere outside, either running, swimming or throwing a ball for her three children and dog … Her debut thriller The Source is currently in production with Lime Pictures, and was a Capital Crime Book Club pick and a number one bestseller on Kindle. The Shot (2022) and Dirt (2023) followed, with multiple award longlistings, including the CWA Daggers. Sarah currently works for Channel 4 News and lives in London.

Don’t forget to check out the other great reviews on this blog tour:

Sleeping Dogs #WendyTurbin #SleepingDogs

By Wendy Turbin

Narrated by Judi Daykin https://judidaykin.co.uk/ @norfolknovelist

Published by Wendy Turbin/Hobeck Books https://www.hobeck.net @HobeckBooks

376 pages (9 hours 44 minutes) ISBN 1913793087 (PB)

Publication date 9 December 2020 (audio 6 January 2022)

Sleeping Dogs is the first book in the Penny Wiseman Murder Mystery series.

I reviewed the audiobook version purchased from Audible. https://www.audible.co.uk/ @audibleuk

The cover

A seaside pier, the sea and a ghostly figure, they’re all relevant to the story. A nice cover, I like it.

The narration

The choice of narrator is vital with audiobooks, and here they have made an excellent choice. The performance is light and upbeat which is perfect for the story. A nice variety of voices and accents and a good deadpan comic delivery.

My review

Penny Wiseman is a gumshoe, not through choice but through necessity. The business was that of her late father and she is struggling just to keep it afloat. He was less choosy with who he worked for, and Penny believes some clients were not exactly legitimate. His books seem more fiction than fact, leaving her with debts to settle. With few of his major clients willing to employ her, she has had to sell her beautiful seafront apartment and pawn her most treasured possession.  

Desperate, she takes on a case of looking into the activities of a secretive husband, who it is feared is being blackmailed. This then opens a series of other mysteries for Penny to follow.

There is also a complication; Penny can see the dead. Since a near death experience which lead to the drowning of her babysitter, Gail Monterrey, she has been able to see ghosts. A gift? Maybe, or perhaps a curse for the guilt she feels. Either way she is stuck with it and must do her best to use it to her advantage.

A bright and breezy story, not so much a cosy crime as a feel-good crime. There is plenty of humour, quirkiness, a nice line in cutting sarcasm and all-round silliness. I’m sure most will read with a smile on their face, but it is not without moments that on reflection could be darker were it not for the upbeat prose. There are also moments of danger and jeopardy and even a car chase (of sorts) which provide a nice contrast to the remainder of the story and add a sense of urgency to the gentle pacing.

The plot is a little bit silly, as befits the overall style, but is delivered with the necessary conviction and all the tangled threads end up being woven together nicely. Set at the seaside what better than a talent show, but one with a difference and a hint of entertaining chaos. The British obsession with pets also figures strong, with cats and dogs, both real and ghostly, and an accommodating veterinary practice. This is a very English private investigation story.

Our central heroine is of course Penny, a woman drifting through her life, concentrating on the business surviving just another week. She is trying to put her troubles behind her, but when she sees ghosts, she tries to first understand and then help them. During the investigation Penny must face up to her own personal demons. Her parts are told in the first person and like all good PIs she shoots from the lip, which is just as well as this is the UK and not 1940s San Francisco.

Her assistant is the nephew of her father’s former assistant, and the best thing about Nathan is he comes cheap. Tall and thin with a shock of red hair he is useless at undercover work, well at most things other than answering the phone, as he is part Frank Spencer and part Private Pike. He is obsessed with technology as are many young men of his age are and this coupled to his personality produce some slapstick moments and comic gems. A little cruel at times but all done in good faith, they love him really.

Penny’s sister is Sarah, and they bounce off each other with sparky sibling rivalry. Sarah becomes concerned after hearing of the financial problems of the business and is keen to help Penny out of her predicament. In doing so she crosses the path of glamourous, tall, slender and stylish Alice, with her long legs to die for and decidedly large hands and feet. There follows an interesting a problematic relationship as Penny has Alice down on her list of suspects.

The test of the first book in a series is does the reader want more. A definite yes please from me. This is light-hearted crime fiction of the highest order that deserves a follow up.

Don’t let these Sleeping Dogs lie, grab a copy soon, settle down and enjoy.

Sleeping Dogs can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Wendy Turbin lives near the sea, walks a dog or two for the Cinnamon Trust, and is owned by Little Ernie, a cat who spooks at invisible things. An avid reader of crime fiction, she has long been a fan of the private detective from Chandler to McDermid, from Grafton to Galbraith.

This combination of facts may explain why her debut novel contains a PI, a pier and a pet – and a ghost girl in need of help.

Over the years, Wendy has worked in international logistics, customer service banking, and education – but she has always been a writer. Like many others who doubt themselves, few of her tales have seen the light of day, despite the Creative Writing core of her OU Bachelor’s degree.

But recovery from a severe bout of depression a few years ago led Wendy to re-evaluate her priorities and then she came across the UEA’s amazing MA Creative Writing Crime Fiction. Ever the ‘learnaholic’, the idea appealed. Write a whole novel while studying crime fiction? Yes! In a ‘seize the day moment’ she applied. She was thrilled and terrified when offered a place.

Fuelled by huge mugs of tea and a lake of prosecco, she wrote the book and achieved the MA.

Now her world is all murder and mayhem – and she’s very happy with that!

Source: Amazon profile

The narrator

Yorkshire born, Judi has lived, worked and made theatre in Norfolk for the last forty years. She completed her MA in Creative Writing (Crime Fiction) at the University of East Anglia (UEA) in 2019, and her debut novel was shortlisted for the Little, Brown UEA writers prize. That novel became Under Violent Skies, which was long-listed for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger in 2021.

Judi was a working actor with a portfolio career spanning twenty years of theatre, film and television; directing; workshops; audio narration and medical roleplay. These days she writes full time from her study in a North Norfolk village. She also enjoys crafting, art history, watching horror films and going on cruises, none of which she has much spare time for!

Source: Amazon profile

A Death in Malta #PaulCaruanaGalizia #ADeathInMalta

By Paul Caruana Galizia @pcaruanagalizia

Narrated by Paul Caruana Galizia

Published by Riverhead Books, Penguin Books, Penguin Audio https://www.penguin.co.uk/ @PenguinUKBooks

336 pages (9 hours 52 minutes) ISBN‎ 9781529151558 (HB) 9781803282503 (A)

Publication date 7 November 2023

I reviewed an audiobook version purchased from Audible.

The cover

A lovely photograph of Daphne at the pool with her three boys. A powerful reminder that underneath everything in this story is a loving family orientated woman.

The narration

Narrated by the author, not something I usually like, but for a deeply personal story it is totally appropriate. He does a remarkable job, under similar personal circumstances I don’t think I could have done it. He does have an accent that takes a little time to attune to, is suitably solemn at the appropriate points, but most of all its the affection he holds for his mother and family shines through. Paul Caruana Galizia I doff my cap to you sir.

Pete’s ponderings

When I read about the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia in The Times I was dumbfounded. This wasn’t the Malta I knew and visited so many times over the last 30 years. I had read the Malta Times and Independent when over there so had some background knowledge of the island. I knew the politics was quite partizan and vociferous, but a political assassination seemed inconceivable, it was the twenty first century after all and they were part of the EU. I took an interest in the story which has been long-running, and this incisive book sets out what has happened.

My review

“There are crooks everywhere you look.”

From the final blog post of Daphne Caruana Galizia, 16 October 2017.

On the afternoon of 16 October 2017 Daphne Caruana Galizia was hurrying to a meeting with her solicitors, a meeting she had forgotten, but she never made it. Some 40 seconds down the country lane where she lived, Triq il-Bidnija, a car bomb that had been placed under her leased Peugeot 108 was detonated. She never stood a chance of surviving. An event that would resonate around the world, albeit briefly in some places, and would have wide reaching effects which are still being felt and yet to be resolved.

She was a remarkable woman, brave, determined, forthright but most of all she had a strong sense of morality, of determining right from wrong. Fellow blogger Manuel Delia, a former Nationalist Party official had this to say at the news of her death “…the only ethical voice left. She was the only one talking about right and wrong.”

In this book her youngest son sets out the background to the assassination (that effectively is what it was) and the family’s long and arduous path to justice, one that is still far from complete. The author has followed his mother into the profession of journalism and certainly the part of the book dedicated to the investigation has all the hallmarks of great investigative journalism, it is precise, cogent, analytical and dispassionate. It is much more than this though as within the first half of the book he paints a thoughtful and passionate biography of a formidable but deeply caring woman.

We start with a little history of the island, which is great background even for those who may be familiar with the island. Then we get down to the serious, dirty world of post-independence (from Britain) politics, with the Labour Party leaning quite far to the left and right/centre Nationalist Party. Were it not for the extreme bitterness involved it could have evoked thoughts of the immediate post WWII Italy of Giovannino Guareschi and his classic Don Camillo and Peppone stories. A communist mayor flexing his muscles to the disgust of the Catholic Church juxtapose with Dom Mintoff sideling up to Communist despots for the new Malta. It was no village, though at times it may seem so, but a fully independent country, where there is much more at stake, disputes sometime ended in violent clashes and even murder was not unknown. On 28 December 1977, fourteen-year-old Karin Maria Grech was killed opening a parcel bomb intended for her father.

Daphne was destined to become a writer from birth, being named by her mother who was reading a Daphne du Maurier novel at the beginning of her labour. In a typically Maltese scenario, she was informed by the nuns that Daphne was an unacceptable name being neither a saint or mentioned in the bible and so would not be registered. We see the struggles that Daphne went through to even start a career at a time when opportunities for women were restricted, especially so in a conservative and catholic country. Determination gets her there, not only did she become the first regular female columnist but the first of either sex to eschew anonymity and publish under a byline. This being a fine example of the fear and pressure journalists found themselves under, as she wrote ‘fear demoralises people’ and the courage of one woman to stand up and be counted, to press for truth and transparency. She was to come to be regarded as the Maltese Cassandra.

Not one to compromise she found more and more restrictions being placed on what she could write in print she resorted to blogging her more explosive exposes online. As indication of the impact of her writing and its reach, it can be noted that some posts had more that double the island’s population in hits. Her peak was to coincide with the leaking of the Panama Papers, just the sort of expose she would revel in, and it wouldn’t take long for her to uncover serious corruption in Malta. She had always written about corruption, the different here was more noughts could be added to the sums involved. This also set in motion a chain of events that would end in that car bomb.

The investigation section brings into stark contrast the ugliness behind the power in Malta. The nepotism that becomes almost incestuous, patronage, money laundering, the passports for cash all making Malta the dirty money capital of the EU. Look in any small-town local newspaper and you will see the familiar faces of the same dignitaries, week in week out and it was just the same in Malta, except it is a country and so the stakes are much higher. If the First Minister commits a crime how can justice be served by a senior investigating officer who is married to one of his ministers? Here the book is uncompromising, much in the style of his mother he leaves no doubt where he stands.

For the Caruana Galizia family the fight for justice continues and I wish them well. We in Britain should not be complacent though, as there are so many parallels here with what has happened in Malta, where they become more apparent in a microcosm. Our politics is becoming more divided and partizan, whilst the calibre of incumbents and parliamentary standards is declining. The police and judiciary fare little better and there is a growing sense of disquiet. The Covid enquiry appears to be opening eyes to potential large-scale fraud. The free press which should be bring people to account are lost in a world of celebrity and clickbait, such that when a piece of true investigative journalism is carried out it is met by shock. It really is time for people to wake up.   

A Death in Malta is a touching, heartfelt portrait of a remarkable woman, who was a determined and courageous journalist, but moreover one who was caring and loved her family.

A Death in Malta can be purchased via the publisher’s website here

Her journalist spirit lives on at The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation.

The author

Paul Caruana Galizia became a journalist after his mother was assassinated and since then has won an Orwell Prize special award, a British Journalism Award and other honours for his reporting. With his brothers, he has received a Magnitsky Human Rights Award and an Anderson-Lucas-Norman Award for campaigning to achieve justice for Daphne.

Source: Publisher’s website

Blood Ribbons #LinLeVersha #BloodRibbons

By Lin Le Versha @linleversha

Published by Hobeck Books https://www.hobeck.net @HobeckBooks

288 pages ISBN 9781915817327

Publication date 6 February 2024

Blood Ribbons is book 4 in the Steph Grant Murder Mystery Series. Click on the links to see my review of Blood Ties book 3 in the series.

I was sent an electronic copy in exchange for a fair review.  I would like to thank Rebecca at Hobeck Books and the Author for the invitation to participate in the Blog Tour.

The Cover

A very atmospheric scene in misty woodland that harks back to the past as well as the current day. The fabric tied to the tree takes on a significance within the story. A great cover with a perfect strapline.

My review

The college where Steph Grant works are over in the Netherlands on an educational trip. They are visiting Arnhem with a group of veterans of Operation Market Garden, the audacious but ultimately fruitless plan to capture three bridges over the Rhine. An operation whose success might have shortened the war, but it ended up as one of those military disasters we British seem to fixate upon. Brave men let down in what was literally A Bridge Too Far. The project intends to expose the students to the events of 1944, though the visiting museums, the war graves, the drop zone and talking to the veterans on site. Then they are to collaborate and produce a book of their experiences ready for the 75^th Anniversary. What a fabulous idea to keep memories alive and final closure for the old soldiers.

For one student, Zoe, this is going to be an especially poignant visit. Her great grandfather private Duncan Shaw was part of the operation, and he recorded his thoughts, feelings and experiences as they battled for survival. His diary, written in a school exercise book, is going to be in part a guide for the students to follow. Sadly, Duncan did not return and as a result his family suffered greatly. His death changed their futures forever. Stepping into Duncan’s shoes through his diary is going to be an emotionally charged experience for Zoe, but it also proves to be a catalyst to uncovering uncomfortable family secrets.

Steph sees the visit as a chance for her and Chief Inspector Philip Hale to have a mini-break and hopefully get some quality time together, amongst the chaperoning of the students. However, when a body is found tangled in rushes in the river close by, it naturally turns into a bit of a ‘busman’s holiday’ as he lends a hand to the Dutch police.

A story set in the present day, but references back to the past, to dark days of 1944, through a diary and reminiscences of old soldiers. The structure is cleverly worked as Zoe reads from the diary in public and then the students and veterans discuss it in both public and private. This allows for Zoe to develop as a character and gain confidence, which is helpful as she takes an emotional battering thanks to the revelations over the course of the story.

The sections of the imagined diary are exceptional. The author has managed to capture the fear and desperation of a young man facing an enemy in battle, but also the boredom and inactivity that joins it. For many war is a series of short intense periods of fighting punctuating long periods of waiting, of killing time and building up a sense of dread of what is to come. It also introduces the mystery of what happened to Duncan as there is confusion and uncertainty of how he was killed. Much happens in the fog of war as the reader is about to discover along with the significance of the title. All this is beautifully written and sensitively handled.

The idea of mixing the veterans, who by this stage will be into their nineties, with the students is another winner. Much fiction is written along generational lines, so it is nice to read such a varied profile. Respect for our elders is seen as declining in the western world, projects like this would help to redress the balance. Certainly, in terms of this story it works so well and helps to unlock the mystery of what happened to Duncan. It was nice to see the veteran portrayed as a feisty as well as wise bunch.

The modern-day crime is well handled and of the sort that will happen every week. Whether the detectives would be given such a free reign falls under artistic licence for me, it sets the plot up nicely as the action moves from the Netherlands to the UK. It also keeps officers from both countries within the story.

Steph and Hales are a great fictional couple, albeit a very sensible one for modern crime fiction. Somewhat middle of the road, middle class and edging towards comfort of sitcom suburbia, but they provide a sense safety and security, which dovetails with the experiences of students. We are not chasing psychotic serial killers but dealing with crimes in a down to earth and logical manner where their ordinariness is a strength. With them on your side you feel that all will come good in the end, though you may end up with a bit of a lecture and a risk of detention. Derek only plays a small part this time, but as usual deserves an award for best supporting canine.

This series is never going to be gritty and urban, but that doesn’t mean that it is all comfortable and cosy, as there are dark elements within the story. The crimes they tackle are a real problem in Britain and the central characters are put in danger and jeopardy that fit with the theme. The section in Arnhem is nicely paced as the contents of Duncan’s diary are absorbed, then it moves up a gear back in Suffolk before it suddenly careers of to a frantic finale. The reveal is clever and surprising with some bluff and deception.

Blood Ribbons is a poignant marrying of a painful the past and present within a gripping murder mystery.

Blood Ribbons can be purchased direct from the publisher here

The author

Lin Le Versha has drawn on her extensive experience in London and Surrey schools and colleges as the inspiration for her debut crime novel which Hobeck were thrilled published in 2021. That novel, Blood Notes, introduces Steph Grant and her four-legged companion, Derek. Shortly after came Blood Lines and in 2023 Blood Ties. In addition to crime writing, she has written over twenty plays exploring the issues faced by secondary school and sixth form students. Commissioned to work with Anne Fine on The Granny Project, she created the English and drama lesson activities for students aged 11 to 14.

Creative writing courses at the Arvon Foundation and ‘Ways with Words’ in Italy, encouraged Lin to enrol at the UEA MA in Creative Writing (Crime) and her debut novel was submitted as the final assessment for this excellent course.

Lin is the Director of the Southwold Arts Festival, comprising over thirty events in an eight-day celebration of the Arts.

Don’t forget to check out the other great reviews on this blog tour:

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Smoke Kings #JahmalMayfield #SmokeKings

By Jahmal Mayfield https://jahmalmayfield.com/ @jahmal_mayfield

Published by Melville House https://mhpbooks.com/ @melvillehouse

390 pages ISBN 9781685891114

Publication date 8 February 2024

I was sent a paperback Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review. I would like to thank Nikki at the publisher for arranging this.

The Cover

A young black man on a red background will promote thoughts of aggression in some, but the title almost completely covers his face. Perhaps this is to signify a novel to challenge attitude based upon snap judgements. It’s certainly an arresting cover.

My review

The story starts with the corpse of a talented young man, Darius, being identified by his family, brother Joshua and Cousin Nate. Darius was planning to go to Rutgers University, but of course that dream has died too. Another young black man cut down before his potential was given chance to flourish. The police are acting as if they are going to treat it as the death of just another black boy. Joshua is upset and reticent; Nate is furious and determined.

How Darious comes to be murdered is told as a series of interludes between chapters as the current day position is being set up. Its touching and poignant as much as it is senseless, an escalation of what for some one suspects is a regular if not daily occurrence. How the friends react to his death differs greatly.

Nate becomes a political activist for black rights. Not for him the role of keyboard warrior or the protest marches and candle lit vigils that seem to achieve nothing. He believes in direct positive action. Together with Cousin Joshua and friends Isiah and Rachel he sets up an action group seeking retribution. Their scheme is a simple one, to make the relatives of the unpunished perpetrators of hate crimes from the distant past pay for those deeds. This is achieved by way of kidnapping these modern relatives, then using physical threat and coercion, ‘persuade’ them to pay reparations. In other words, to tax them just like the Mafia and other criminal gangs, but this time it is in the name of justice.

Not all the kidnappings go to plan though and there is an escalating level of violence, as their actions begin to spiral out of control, which brings them to the notice of others. One is an ex-cop and now ex-private security officer who is taking on the interests of an old friend; the other is a group of white supremacists with survivalist/prepper tendencies.

I do love a story with mixed up morals. They seem to matter more now that there appears to be a determination to polarise opinions, whilst throwing out nonsense statements like ‘the right side of history’. In Smoke Kings we have an abundance of it. Here we have an intelligent novel with race at its core that creates a multitude of situations and opinions that pose questions to reader, rather than taking a blinkered approach favoured by groups like BLM. There is great subtlety to the writing, and it is left for the reader to pick up on them, which means that this will prove to be a great book club read, as there is so much to discuss.

Nate is driven by a need for justice that turns into rage, he may see himself as focussed but others see him as short-sighted. He clashes with Isiah over who they are seeking vengeance for. Isiah wants to widen the net, but Nate believes that only blacks are truly wronged, it is they that should be the focus, thereby creating a hierarchy of oppression. Isiah, who is of Korean descent and is the IT specialist and researcher of the group becomes increasingly uncomfortable as things escalate. Isiah’s fiancé Rachel is almost as fervent as Nate even though she is mainly of Italian descent with very little black blood in her lineage. Nate doesn’t even consider her as being black, but she is useful to him as she becomes the honeypot if there is to be that kind of trap. Exploitation of women is nothing new and neither is the violence directed towards them.

Over the period the story spans, several characters change significantly. The most interesting I found was the former cop, Mason. Having served with the police he has a dollop of institutional racism and outdated attitudes, made worse by the attack on his wife’s car by a gang of black youths. He goes on a journey that changes his perspective and attitude. Not quite a Damascene conversion but proof that even the most jaded with ingrained attitudes have a capacity for change.

There is violence, how could there not be with such a novel, some of it brutal but the reader is spared the worst of it. It does allow for the introduction of a truly magnificent over the top character, brutal, evil, perhaps edging towards insanity but one that has read philosophy and can quote poetry. A character to steal the show, if it were ever filmed, but also provides a counterpoint to Nate. A case of Nietzsche’s comment about staring into the abyss, as Nate begins to mirror others? Perhaps, there is a certainly a desensitisation to violence amongst some in society

The writing style is tight and compact but not stripped back, this is not a short novel, there is a lot of scope to fill, and characters are given space to breathe. There’re some great descriptive phrases (like the condensation on beer cans likened to sweat) as well as great put downs (Budweiser being beer flavoured water) but the attitude is kept low key, this is very much a serious novel with a message.

The pacing is great, after the original set up it moves along rapidly with plenty of action and danger to satisfy the thriller fan. The story is quite linear but is kept interesting in the second half as there are a series of intersections where the various factions collide. Much of the story feels like a literary tragedy with the sense that it is running to an almost inevitable conclusion, but the reader is uncertain whom the doomed one is. That said there is also the seeds of hope for the future, if Mason can change then so can we all.

Smoke Kings is a powerful and thought provoking story of modern attitudes to race. A scorching debut novel.

Smoke Kings can be purchased direct from the publisher here or the bookshop.org here

The author

Jahmal Mayfield was born in Virginia but currently resides in New Jersey. In addition to writing crime fiction, he serves as the director of a nonprofit program that provides employment support to people with disabilities. SMOKE KINGS was inspired by Kimberly Jones’ passionate viral video, “How can we win?”

Source: Publisher’s website

A Deadly Promise #RachelAmphlett #ADeadlyPromise

By Rachel Amphlett https://www.rachelamphlett.com/ @RachelAmphlett

Published by Saxon Publishing

319 pages ISBN 9781915231925

Publication date 6 February 2024

A Deadly Promise is the 13th book in the DI Kay Hunter series.

I was sent an electronic version to enable me to take part in this Blog Tour. I would like to thank Anne at Random Things Tours @RandomTTours for the invitation to participate and of course the author.

The Cover

A well lit up park bench at night. Fine if a little generic.

My review

An affluent couple are returning home after a wonderful driving holiday in France. Unable to book a nice hotel to break up the final leg of journey in the UK, they settle for a one-night rental of a house. This is no Air BnB, but rather a big house set in large gardens down a remote lane. How wonderful, well it does cost £600 for the night! On arrival they notice an odd odour. In the master bedroom they find a woman’s mutilated body, evidence of torture and with a savage cut to the throat. They say that once you smell death you never forget it.

So, we start with a killing that really grabs the attention, one that is going to prove challenging for DI Kay Hunter and her team. The victim is quickly discovered to be the household cleaner, who was employed through an agency, and was preparing for the guests (the householders are in USA.) There is nothing in the victim’s past to suggest a reason for her murder. She is clearly struggling to make ends meet, she is painfully thin, had few possessions and was withdrawn from any meaningful social life. Kay’s team diligently work away but to no avail, with no clear motive and few clues they struggle to identify a suspect.

A second body turns up at a storage depot when a brother and sister are sorting through their late father’s possessions. The reveal here is a masterful handling of a comedy/horror staple which I won’t spoil. The body has cuts like the first victim and the same evidence of torture, suggesting the same killer. A third body suggests an escalation, but this is no ordinary serial killer, and they are scrambling to discover a connection to link the three victims. The break when it comes is certainly serendipitous.

A lot of bloodshed, but this is very much a traditional old-school police procedural, true to the genre and honest with it. Its light on thrills and spills, there is some danger, but it is the story of an investigation largely as seen by the investigating officers.

Kay Hunter is dedicated and determined investigator, and rarely for crime fiction well adjusted. She rides her team hard but is fair and generous, so they respond in kind. Their camaraderie shines through whether their enthusiasm is realistic or not doesn’t matter it provides touches of normal life, preventing the story becoming too dark.

The plot is detailed rather than complex, but played out gradually so the reader can never get ahead of themselves, here it is cleverly constructed. Halfway through you might think, as I did, that doesn’t make sense that would be the last thing the killer would do. Then Kay Hunter points out this logical fallacy, so there must be more to it. The answer is as brilliant as it is simple.

The writing is perfectly judged, it moves along at pleasingly rapid pace, such that you are just digesting that last small revelation when the next one arrives. It never falls into the trap of becoming dull, the form filling authenticity that some authors love (and write so well) is omitted and the little details of the investigation are introduced within the regular team briefings. There are no brilliant deductions appearing to come from nowhere, but solid hard graft and teamwork, reviewing CCTV footage, trawling the internet and archives.

There is a nice down-to-earth feeling to the story telling style. An early description of a street with its pavement a patchwork of holes left by utility companies and covered in dog faeces, then later a man urinating in bus shelters gives it a sense of honesty. Then there is the desperation of the victims, that of the poor, those disadvantaged of society, suffering from sheer bad luck or addiction. A sense of desperation is there throughout as the police struggle for a lead and even the rich have their own self-created problems. It’s not all dour though, a series of light-hearted interludes are introduced by a litter of baby hedgehogs (hoglets) who are rescued by Kay’s husband. These short scenes adding sights, sounds, smells and a little mirth to the story.

If you are a fan of police procedurals, A Deadly Promise delivers  just what you are looking for, a difficult investigation, a tightly constructed plot and a tense ending.

A Deadly Promise can be purchased direct from the author here

The author

Before turning to writing, USA Today bestselling crime author Rachel Amphlett played guitar in bands, worked as a TV and film extra, dabbled in radio as a presenter and freelance producer for the BBC, and worked in publishing as an editorial assistant.

She now wields a pen instead of a plectrum and writes crime fiction with over 30 novels and short stories featuring spies, detectives, vigilantes, and assassins.

Rachel’s stories are available in eBook, print and audiobook formats from libraries and retailers as well as her own shop on this website.

A keen traveller and accidental private investigator, Rachel has both Australian and British citizenship.

She loves hearing from readers and personally replies to every email.

Source: Author’s website

Don’t forget to check out all the other fabulous reviews on this Blog Tour:

Gallows Drop #TEAMDANIELS #MariHannah #GallowsDrop

By Mari Hannah https://www.marihannah.com/ @mariwriter

Narrated by Colleen Prendergast @CMPrendergast_

Published by Pan Macmillan https://www.panmacmillan.com/ @panmacmillan

512 pages (12 hours 15 minutes) ISBN 978-1447287339 (HB)

Publication date 5 October 2017

Gallows Drop is the sixth book in the Kate Daniels @DCIKateDaniels Mysteries series. Click on the links to read my reviews of the first five books in the series, The Murder Wall (1), Settled Blood (2), Deadly Deceit (3), Monument to Murder (4) and Killing for Keeps (5).

My review is based upon the audiobook version purchased from Audible. I would like to thank Tracy @Tr4cyF3nt0n from Compulsive Readers #CompulsiveReaders http://www.compulsivereaders.com/ for the opportunity to take part in the #TEAMDANIELS review project. My review of Without a Trace the seventh novel in the series will be posted on this blog later in February.

The Cover

Its atmospheric (the print version more so) but it is lacking one obvious element for me…

The narrator

There is continuity using Colleen Prendergrast and she does a fine job.

Pete’s ponderings

Landmarks often bring a work of fiction to life. For me one of the best at this would be Christopher Fowler and his Bryant and May series, where Arthur Bryant would go doddering off across London introducing readers to the parts that tourists miss. He also spent a lot of time visiting the libraries and museums of the capital, finding plenty of oddball characters along the way. Sadly, there will be no more. Edinburgh is another city packed with landmarks that features well in crime fiction, and a fabulous city to explore.

The Gallows Drop features real-life gallows known as Winter’s Gibbet near the village of Eldson. William Winter was hanged at the Westgate in Newcastle, then his body wall suspended from this gibbet in chains as a message. A grisly reminder of a dark past, but if you search for images online you will see some fabulous evocative photographs, a fitting setting for a great piece of crime fiction.

My review

The body of a young man is found hanging from Winters Gibbet at dawn, the morning after the local country show. DCI Kate Daniels realises that she recognises him, she saw him only yesterday at the show, in the Cumberland wrestling. Kate is due to leave on a much needed, extended holiday with Jo Soulsby, after the demands of her last case, which led to danger in Spain. Determined to leave this case in a good position for handover, she is stopped in her tracks by the early arrival of her cover DCI James Atkins. He makes his presence felt with all the subtlety of a bull in a China shop and is deliberately provocative. Atkins and Daniels have history, there is much bad blood between them. The attempts of Bright to avoid their presence overlapping was scuppered by Atkins cancelling his rostered days off. Here is a man looking for trouble, will he find it?

The plot is quite straightforward, after determining that it wasn’t suicide there is a search for the killer. The complexity comes from the search amongst a close-knit community with a small number of likely suspects and most alibis interlinking. The real tension starts when Kate discovers that Atkin’s daughter Beth was a witness to a fight involving the victim the night before. The truth will only come out after a lot of questioning of troubled young adults, exposing their problems and fears. Surprises are revealed along the way and this aspect is covered with real sensitivity.

The heart of the novel is a series of clashes, some vociferous and abrasive, others more angst ridden with disappointment and resignation. This is a very emotive and emotional story. Quite simply it’s the past versus the present, the ability to put the events of the past behind you and move on, sometimes requiring some bridge building to do so. But this is career driven Kate, and she never has the time for things like this.

The main dispute, that between Kate and Atkins goes back to when Kate first started in the force, and so has festered for around twenty years. Bright has nurtured Kate’s career and protected her, but one day confrontation was going to come. When it comes it is explosive, angry and abusive leading to soul searching and reflection; will Kate have the heart to carry on?

The stand off relationship Kate has with her father comes to a head at just the wrong time, but when do they ever come at the right time. The trigger comes as a surprise, they are both stubborn but need to compromise if ever there is to be anything like a reconciliation.

Then there is the on-off relationship with Jo. A chance to get things back as they were, with affection rekindled by a holiday in Scotland, but as Kate says she is a ‘crap lesbian’. Understanding, support, affection, bickering, cold shoulders and cross words are all there, it must be so emotionally tiring being a lesbian.

All of this is skilfully pulled together in the sort of novel that becomes a turning point in a series. It fills in a big chunk of back story in a way that fits perfectly and makes complete sense. There is a fabulously delivered shock added to the story, that has the reader thinking what, wait a minute and a cliffhanger tagged on at the very end. Finish this and you will be desperate to crack on with Without a Trace.

Gallows Drop adds explanations and meaning to the back story of the DCI Kate Daniels series and sets her up with a series of big questions to answer in her immediate future.

Gallows Drop can be purchased via the publisher’s website here

The author

When an injury on duty ended my career as Probation Officer, I began writing. I am the author of the Kate Daniels and Ryan & O’Neil series published by Pan Macmillan and the Stone & Oliver series published by Orion. My debut, The Murder Wall, was written as a TV pilot for a BBC Drama Development Scheme – before the adaption. The novel won the Polari First Book Prize. Before becoming an author, I fell in love with scriptwriting and submitted speculative original dramas to the BBC Writersroom. I’ve also written a romantic comedy feature film that I hope will find a producer one day. In 2010, I won the Northern Writers’ Award for my second novel, Settled Blood. And in 2017, I won the Dagger in the Library for my body of work. I’m represented by AM Heath literary agent, Oli Munson, and live in Northumberland with my partner, a former murder detective.

Source: Goodreads profile

Four Shots in the Night #HenryHemming #FourShotsInTheNight

By Henry Hemming https://henryhemming.com/ @henryhemming

Published by Quercus Books https://www.quercusbooks.co.uk/ @QuercusBooks

352 pages ISBN 9781529426755

Publication date 28 March 2024

I was sent an electronic copy in exchange for a fair review.

The Cover

A desolate, lonely street scene that gives a great impression of the unique Northern Ireland landscape.

Pete’s ponderings

When somebody mentions spies and espionage, we readers immediately think of the Cold War and the great authors of the genre, like John le Carre and his creation George Smiley (for me Bond wasn’t really a spy more a not-very-secret agent.) But who amongst us would have imagined for Britain in the 1970s and 1980s the epicentre was in Northern Ireland where MI5 and the Army were desperate to infiltrate the IRA.

This was clearly a well-guarded secret which is staggering considering the numbers involved, but I guess timing played a key part. Any true crime investigating journalist or author until recently not only put lives of agents and families at risk but also themselves. Cancel Culture of its current form may not have existed then, but any cancellation that would have taken place would have been permanent, as in deadly.

My review

Could it be possible that a British agent murdered another whilst they were working undercover? It seems rather implausible, but when you consider that their sphere of operation was Northern Ireland in the 1980s, at the height of ‘The Troubles’, it becomes a possibility.

On 26 May 1986, the body of Frank Hegarty, an undercover agent was dumped in a muddy lane, with his hands tied and packing tape across his eyes. It has all the hallmarks of a gangland execution, this gang being the Provisional IRA. Their executions were carried out by the notorious Internal Security Service, known to all and sundry as the ‘Nutting Squad’. If this sobriquet has you imagining them dishing out a ‘Glasgow Kiss’, then you are well wide of the mark. Nutting in this sense is not a headbutt, which is painful but not fatal, but rather a bullet to the head. Executions carried out in the night with a trademark four shots. At the time of this execution the British had an agent in the Nutting Squad codenamed ‘Stakeknife’ (it started as steak knife, but the misspelling became the accepted version). Had Stakeknife been ordered to kill Hegarty? A ‘friendly fire’ murder to preserve his anonymity or a refusal that would condemn them both, a tough choice.

War is dirty, civil war even more so; the road to peace is a treacherous one. The British Security Services, the Army and MI5 decided that inside information was the key to saving innocent lives. They began a push to recruit low level IRA members, often men who were sick of the violence, to become informants. This is not a role to be taken lightly as discovery and capture would not lead to a trade off of agents across a bridge (a scene so loved by film makers) but certain torture and execution. However, such was the success of the venture a plan was developed to try and place an insider close to the decision-making centre of the IRA the ‘Army Council’ and attempt to steer them to peace. In Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness MI5 believed they had identified the men to negotiate a settlement, fail and the likelihood was they would be replaced be younger hard liners and the chance would be lost for a generation.

This is a book that lays out the salient facts, covering the history of ‘The Troubles’ from 1969 to the Good Friday agreement, in a cogent way and exposes a series of moral dilemmas throughout. It is clearly meticulously researched, being fully referenced and indexed, but is far from a dry academic tome. The writing is accessible and in the style of modern true crime reporting but coupled with the critical analysis of a true investigative journalist. Embellishments are subtly used to get a feel of storytelling such as the first approach to Frank whilst he is out walking his greyhound Blue, giving a warm human touch. At the start the author is at pains to explain that he has no personal connection with either side of the conflict and this is reflected in the writing, this is a fair and honest account of what he has discovered. I would also recommend reading the author notes to get an idea of the task he faced.

So, what will the reader discover?

Perhaps the most surprising thing for me was the lack of legal back up for agents in the field. James Bond 007 famously is licenced to kill, but the reality was up until a couple of years ago they had no more protection than that of the man in the street. Any illegal activity they participated had the potential for prosecution, as could be seen by Operation Kenova the biggest murder investigation in British history which centred upon Stakeknife.

Countless dilemmas were faced and generally settled by taking the choice that results in the greater overall good, no matter how unpalatable it may be. This is demonstrated by the police investigation into the murder of Frank Hegarty. He didn’t pull the trigger but Martin McGuinness’ ‘fingerprints’ were all over the operation, however a prosecution was prohibited so as not to scupper peace talks.

Martin McGuinness’ codename was Penguin. In a deadly (quite literally) serious book this did raise a chuckle. Most people see penguins as loveable birds, so it is hardly fitting, Vulture might have been more appropriate.

The road to peace was a long an arduous one. It initially began in secret, with both sides wishing to deny they were happening, right back to the times of Margaret Thatcher’s government trying to end the 1981 Hunger Strikes in which ten men died. (On a personal level I was interested in Richard O’Rawe’s role in these negotiations having reviewed his novel Goering’s Gold.)

Peace could only come once both sides had worked themselves into a stalemate position, neither side could enforce a quick victory and had fought themselves to a standstill. Big compromises were made and the author gives a great background to what happened and the concessions made. The process was far from perfect as can be seen by the pursuit of old soldiers through the courts, but the solution was a much-needed peace which has largely held.

Four Shots in the Night is a gripping insight into the role of covert agents during ‘The Troubles’ and their crucial role in the overall peace process. This engaging and clearly written account feels to be coming out at the perfect time to remind people what is at stake.

Four Shots in the Night can be purchased via the publisher’s website here

The author

Henry Hemming is the bestselling author of seven books including Our Man in New York, M, published as Agent M in North America, the Dolman Travel Award-shortlisted Misadventure in the Middle East and the New York Times bestseller The Ingenious Mr Pyke. He has written for the Sunday Times, Daily Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Times, The Economist, FT Magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the Washington Post, is an experienced public speaker and has given interviews on Radio 4’s Today Programme and NBC’s Today Show.

Source: Publisher’s website