Release Date: 30/01/15
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
SYNOPSIS:
Ishmael Jones is someone who can't afford to be noticed, someone who lives under the radar, who drives on the dark side of the road. He's employed to search out secrets, investigate mysteries and shine a light in dark places. Sometimes he kills people. Invited by his employer, the enigmatic Colonel, to join him and his family for Christmas, Ishmael arrives at the grand but isolated Belcourt Manor in the midst of a blizzard to find that the Colonel has mysteriously disappeared. As he questions his fellow guests, Ishmael concludes that at least one of them - not least Ishmael himself - is harbouring a dangerous secret, and that beneath the veneer of festive cheer lurk passion, jealousy, resentment and betrayal. As a storm sets in, sealing off the Manor from the rest of the world, Ishmael must unmask a ruthless murderer before they strike again.
REVIEW:
OK,. I’m a huge Simon Green fan, I’ve loved stories he’s woven before from the immutable Deathstalker series through to the fun I had with his Secret History series so when I read that he had a new book out and that it had a supernatural edge I couldn’t wait to see what would occur.
What unfurled within was a story that had some solid crime mystery elements and whilst a little predictable with the overall thinking was something that entertained, that was of course until the book went its “supernatural” way that left me feeling that it wasn’t something that was required, the reveal felt flat, almost as if it had to happen at that point and overall from there on it was rushed to get to an ending that was more of a fix than an y solid real conclusion. Almost as if the author gave up 80% of the way through the writing (or was rushing to meet the deadline.) Don’t get me wrong, there will be people that will love it, but for me, I just didn’t like the way it felt that the author had to tie it all up in a nice big bow.
BOOK BLURB:
Hell to Pay:
In the wake of the war that left the Nightside leaderless, Jeremiah Griffin-one of the last of the immortal human families-plans to fill the power vacuum. But his granddaughter has disappeared, and he wants John Taylor to use his special abilities to find her. Except someone-or something-is blocking Taylor's abilities.
The Unnatural Enquirer:
Welcome to the Nightside, that secret square mile located in the dark heart of London where the sun never rises and people can fraternize with every myth and monster imaginable.
John Taylor is a P.I. with the special ability to locate anyone or anything. The Unnatural Inquirer, the Nightside's most notorious gossip rag, has offered him a million pounds to find a DVD purportedto contain an actual recording of the afterlife. John doesn't know if it's true, but someone-or something-thinks so, and will stop at nothing to possess the disc.
REVIEW:
OK, it’s compendium time. Within this offering are the two books: Hell to Pay and The Unnatural Enquirer. As a fan of Simon’s Deathwalker and now his Secret Histories novels, I’ve gone back and started to enjoy his Nightside series that are now being published in the UK by Solaris. This is the fourth book by them in this format so its been an enjoyable ride but for established fans of the series it might come as a bit of a shock to see a title out there with no relation to any that have gone before.
As usual with Simon’s writing, its pretty fast paced, the twists and turns within are worthy of the film noir genre and its not without great homage to the gumshoes of the past that Simon tips his hat. I love this series and it’s a series that continues to grow from me from novel to novel. His writing is some of the best in the genre and it is a sheer delight to pick up the next book in each. Add to this the fact that it is a twofer and you’ve got a real bargain.
BOOK BLURB:
The legendary Independent Agent is dying . . . so who will inherit his hoard of secret information and fabulous secrets? For most of the last century, he was the greatest spy in the world, but now The Independent Agent is retiring, he has decided on one last great game - the six greatest spies in the world today must work together - and compete against each other - to solve the six greatest mysteries in the world. Whoever wins the game will also win The Agent's priceless treasure-trove of information. Eddie Drood, aka Shaman Bond, has been invited to join the great game, and of course he can't say no, especially when he learns what the mysteries are - everything from the Tunguska Incident to the Philadelphia Experiment, to whatever the hell it was really happened at Roswell. But that means he needs to survive working alongside old friends and old enemies . . . especially when the spies start dying, one by one . . . And one of them is going to haunt him . . . for the rest of his life. THE SPY WHO HAUNTED ME is the third of the Secret Histories: a riveting roller-coaster ride through the dark side.
REVIEW:
If you’ve followed the current new series by Simon (the Secret Histories) then you’ll know that we’ve been a little suspicious about whether or not the series is trying to be serious or is a riotous mickey take blending the Supernatural and Spy genre. Luckily for us, we got over our reservations during book two so when the third tale landed we were more than prepared.
What you get with Simon is a well crafted story and it was nice to see his main protagonist of the series get an outing on his own rather than his double teaming with his squeeze, Molly Metcalf. What also brought a great deal of joy to us was the use of another of his characters from the Nightside that allowed the full blending of the worlds to come full circle. A masters touch. Into this cauldron of creativity, you will also find a serious kick-ass plotline, cracking additional characters and of course, evidence that this author plays for keeps. Its going to be very interesting to see where the series goes to next time but I have a feeling that a certain Bond is going to end up in the middle of a Fae war at some point in time. If you are looking for something a little different within the UF genre, then this is really going to float your boat. Great stuff.
