It is September 1944 and Peter Cotton is sent to Cadiz to remove May, the English agent stationed there, and to shut the office down. His orders indicate that he might need to arrest the current holder of the post, but the reason is not clear. All that he has been told is that he may be able to do something very important for the war effort.
Before he leaves for Cadiz, he receives a coded message – May is dead and he now needs to proceed to the town to secure the British position there and close the office.
Cadiz is a claustrophobic town charged with political intrigue, fuelled by the uncertainties of the alliances being forged at this point of the end of the second world war. The town is full of characters finely illustrated by the writing and underpinned by the dialogue which ranges from polite and stilted to the bizarre. This includes the eccentric police chief Ramirez who becomes Cotton’s main social commentator on the town’s key personalities and on the sensitivities and allegiances which have been forged during the war.
May’s death is suspicious and so Cotton takes more time closing the office down as he investigates the activities of the dead agent and his demise. As a novice it seems that unraveling the situation will prove impossible, as there seem to be no clues and no one seems to say anything useful.
This is a really intricate book, with many quirky observations about the people and patterns of behaviour which might have been followed during this sensitive time in the war. The writing is in some ways stilted by the Spanish language, which is frequently used in the local conversations, but this creates an authenticity and sense of place in the book. The voices and characters appear real and convey the awkwardness of those with different perceptions and experiences.
I was at times reminded of “Our Man in Havana” (Graeme Greene) in the off beat nature of the characters and the crime, as well as the unexpected climax. This was a quietly powerful tale, which starts off quite slowly, but gains momentum as you read. Each chapter and conversation adds a layer to the complexity of the task which Peter Cotton has taken on. A good first novel and highly recommended.
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Amanada Brown