When India Blake is Kidnapped, her husband pays the ransom, and only contacts
the police when she fails to re-appear. The Police take little action, until
that is, she turns up dead three months later.
Because Edward Blake had recently insured his wife for two and a half million
pounds, the Insurance Company call in Sam Turner to investigate. As Sam is trying
to spend as much time as possible with his wife Dora, as her life slowly ebbs
away, he hands the day to day running of the case over to Geordie and Maria.
As Geordie investigates the people around Edward Blake, his own personal life
takes a drastic turn, so too does Maria's
The over-riding force in the book though, is Dora, the relationship between
her and Sam, the unspoken messages that convey to the reader the strength of
their love, and the power of the mind, as Dora reflects on her past, and sees
truths that had previously eluded her. The allusions to Lady Day were particularly
poignant, as for me too, Lady Day had slipped away before I ever heard her sing.
Interspersed with the investigation of the death of India Blake, the changes
in the lives of both Geordie and Maria, are the flashes into Billy's life, Dora's
estranged son, who she longs to see.
A terrific book. Highly recommended.
----
Lizzie Hayes
John’s previous Sam Turner novels are Poet in the Gutter,
Death Minus Zero, King of the Streets and Walking with Ghosts.
For more information on John's books visit his web site
http://www.johnbakeronline.co.uk