On a Sturday afternoon in mid-March, Johnny Ace and his partner, ex-police Inspector Jim Burroughs of the recently formed Ace Investigations, are called by millionaire Leonard Smithson to rescue his daughter Jo, who has been abducted from a supermarket car park in central Liverpool. While Johnny starts investigating who and why, Jim attempts to calm an agitated Leonard who vows to do anything to get his daughter back; But before the search gets seriously underway, Joanna telephones to say she has escaped her captors. That she killed one in the process lands her on a murder charge, and that’s just the start of the tale...
Meanwhile Ace Investigations is asked by one Norris Pond to trace a David Blease, who once played for a football team now extinct, called The Wavertree Corinthians. Mr Pond states that he is compiling a history of the group. It doesn’t seem very exciting, but routine investigation reveals that David Blease disappeared in 1979 and has never been heard of since. So begins a bizarre chain of events.
Interspersed with the on going investigations of murder and mayhem, we find that Victoria’s first tooth has come through. Yes, Maria has produced a daughter and Johnny lives almost permanently with Maria, well almost, there is still the pull towards Hilary who Johnny has been seeing on and off for twenty years. However, Johnny has resolved that although he wants to remain friends with Hilary, now he has a daughter, he will be faithful to Maria. Well that’s what he says!
To complicate Johnny’s life still further, his house is attacked by what appears to be a racist group, and his Asian tenant ends up in hospital.
This is the fifth in the Johnny Ace series and I find myself opening the pages
of a new book, with confidence that I am in for a good mystery with people I
have come to like, although, I cannot see myself going out on a Sunday evening
to watch Jim’s recently reformed group ‘The Chocolate Lavatory’, or going for
a chap who drinks Scrumpy Jack cider, but it takes all sorts, maybe I am missing
something! I do unreservedly go for Roly in a big way he is definitely for me.
A wonderful read, great sense of place, don’t miss this one.
-----
Lizzie Hayes
Ron Ellis is the author of Ears of the City, Mean Streets, Framed and The Singing
Dead, featuring Johnny Ace. Visit Ron at http://www.ronellis.co.uk