By David Jarvis @David_Jarvis_
Published by Matador (Troubador Publishing) https://www.troubador.co.uk/ @matadorbooks
309 pages ISBN 9781805141488
Publication date 28 October 2023
This Is Not a Pipe is the second novel in the Mike Kingdom series. Click on the link for my review of The Tip of the Iceberg the first book in the series.
The author sent me a paperback copy in exchange for a fair review.
The cover
Clever, perhaps a little too clever for a casual browser. Style wise it is in keeping with the previous novels by this author with the dots and dashes running through the centre. The strapline is the key “things are not what they seem.” Pipes play a prominent role, though not of the hookah variety.
The title comes from the work of Belgian surrealist painter René Magritte. Most readers will instantly recognise his painting ‘The Son of Man’, which features a besuited man wearing a bowler hat with his face obscured by an apple, even if not aware of the artist and title. The novel takes inspiration from a slightly lesser-known painting ‘The Treachery of Images’ which is a painting of a pipe with the words “Ceci n’est pas une pipe”, French for “This is not a pipe” underneath. The meaning being it is not an actual pipe but a representation of one.
Pete’s ponderings
The period from the sixteenth to the early twentieth centuries saw the colonial land grabs to fuel the leading world economies at that time. Mineral wealth, precious metals and then hydrocarbon fuels were all to be exploited at the expense of indigenous peoples.
Twenty first century man is of course more enlightened and colonising land is seen for what it is. The need for rare earth elements used in modern electronics means that the resources of other, often underdeveloped countries, are still exploited, just using a different method. Neocolonialism. A technique of bringing cultural, political or economic pressure to bear to achieve the desired result, ranging from gentle arm twisting to full scale blackmail. Here the dirty work is carried out not by adventurers or privateers but by secret services, special advisers and the diplomatic corps.
This Is Not a Pipe throws a spotlight on this with entertaining and at times amusing clarity.
My review
In my review of Tip of the Iceberg I remarked that I wanted more from Michaela ‘Mike’ Kingdom the former CIA analyst and our author has duly obliged. This reader was certainly not disappointed.
Mike Kingdom gets an unwanted visitor to her remote cabin in the woods. Yes, its her former boss the food obsessed Head of the CIA’s London Station and controller of the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence services collaboration (between the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand). Mike swore never to work for him again, but this time Leonard has some bait. Mike’s brother-in-law Randy has been working under cover and has wandered ‘off reservation’. Leonard wants him found and brought into line, there is to be a G20 summit in Morocco shortly and nothing is to get in its way. By way of ‘help’ he tells her Randy might be in Spain, France, Italy, Algeria or Morocco, but his working ‘legend’ is not known. Another clue is in the newspaper he discards when he leaves. Frustrated by the request, but Randy is family, her only link to her late husband, Mike boots up her computer and becomes engrossed.
The British Energy Minister Johnny Musselwhite is on his way to Spain but has arranged a meeting with his French counterpart on route, so he can work the trip into his expenses of course. The Embassy in Paris decides to send a chaperone to smooth his way, with this task eventually falling to Walter Flushing a newbie at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Johnny is fond of the ‘Colombian marching powder’ so the assignment proves taxing for young Walter.
These two strands will come to intertwine, but as with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby the road leads to Morocco…
A memorable start, “Who could ever forget that splash” as a tourist trips over the hem of her kaftan and falls headfirst into a channel where the fish filleters throw the fish offal. We are back in the playfully amusing world of David Jarvis, where accidents waiting to happen do so with some mirth. Having worked in an office on Grimsby Fish Dock for fifteen years I have an inkling of how bad this would smell, but add the blazing North African, I truly shudder. Bravo.
Here we have another excellent slice of geo-political skullduggery that is suffused with dry humour and wry wit. The plot whilst relatively straightforward is skilfully overlaid with deceptions, quite fittingly in a world where misplaced trust can prove fatal and loyalties are seemingly negotiable. The storyline progresses at a nicely judged pace and what could be a heavy-going subject matter lighted by amusing incident and sparkling humour, so never gets dull. From the opening slapstick to word play of Walter’s middle name being Cecil to the florid description of Leonid even the dourest reader will find something to chuckle about.
The settings are interesting and well used; a luxury villa in Spain belonging to the super rich and in a bold contrast, the dusty street markets of Morocco. Both prove taxing for our intrepid ‘fish out of water’ analyst dabbling at being a field agent, who is often in a bit of a sweat, which is uncomfortable if you wear a wig. Mike’s hotel in Marrakech manages to be both exotic and slightly unsettling in equal measure.
Mike is the central character of course and her personality is fleshing out well making her an engaging heroine even if she does get herself into tight spots. As she comes to realise people who want her expertise never seem to tell her the full story.
The author has a deft touch when it comes to creating cameo roles too. There is the Aussie backpacker Josie, another one sparing with the truth; an amusingly nicknamed security guard Wazz who has more depth than might be imagined and I think will appear again; and the fish gutter’s dog Kella who all bring added interest to the story. Most of all though it is the author’s ability to nail the character of the venal, mendacious politicians, advisers and those who pull the strings. Gone are the days of the public serving politician, now they all seem to be self-serving, our democracy gives us a vote every five years, but do we really know who is in control? Is it parliament, big business, bodies like the EU or more shady Bilderberg Group? Is it any wonder some people head down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories. As there is little the ordinary man can do, get yourself a comfy chair and immerse yourself in this wonderful story.
This Is Not a Pipe vividly brings to life the murky world of geo-politics with wit and style.
This Is Not a Pipe can be purchased direct from the publisher here
The author
After going to Art College in the 1970s David Jarvis set up an international planning practice which he ran for 40 years. His canvases just got bigger and bigger. He has now retired to Wiltshire.
Source: Publisher’s website
Peter turns the page 