The Poisoned Rock‘Robert Daws is an exciting addition to the canon of 20th century crime writers.’Peter James. International bestselling author of the Insp Roy Grace series.With only five weeks to go before the end of her secondment to the Royal Gibraltar Police Force, D.S. Tamara Sullivan is enjoying life on the Rock. With one murder investigation successfully under their belts, Sullivan and her … belts, Sullivan and her commanding officer, Chief Inspector Gus Broderick, settle down to regular police work under the sunny Mediterranean skies.
In London, the British Government has declassified a large number of top secret files regarding British Military Intelligence operations during World War Two. One file, concerning espionage operations on Gibraltar, has been smuggled out of the U.K. to Spain. It contains information that will draw Sullivan and Broderick into the dark and treacherous world of wartime Gibraltar. A place where saboteurs and espionage plots abounded. Where double and triple agents from Britain, Germany and Spain were at war in a treacherous and deadly game of undercover operations.
As the summer heat reaches its zenith in Gibraltar Town, a film crew has arrived on the Rock to shoot a movie about one of the most enigmatic and legendary spies of the war years – ‘The Queen of Diamonds’. Starring Hollywood A-lister Julia Novacs and produced by local born film maker, Gabriel Isolde, it is the talk of the Rock.
It is only a matter of time before past and present collide and a dangerous battle begins to conceal the truth about the Rock’s poisonous wartime history. Detectives Sullivan and Broderick become caught in a tangled web of intrigue and murder that will once again test their skills and working relationship to the very limit.
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The Poisoned Rock…
is the second Sullivan and Broderick murder mystery by actor and broadcaster Robert Daws.
‘During the early years of WW2, the Allies possessed not a single spot of ground
in Western Europe, except for the Gibraltar fortress. As General Eisenhower
noted – Gib was the key to the Mediterranean. And yet Gibraltar was an intelligence nightmare.
German and Spanish agents spied relentlessly on every move that was made on the Rock. It was a stage on which one of WW2’s most absorbing intelligence battles was played out.’
British Security Service, MI5
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A well-written police procedural with interesting characters and plot twists. Add an unusual location and flash-backs to WWII and you have a great read.
Great plot – couldn’t put it down.
Made me want to read his other in this series.
Excellent geographical story. Lots of historical facts mixed with a good mystery.
Enjoyed learned about Gibraltar and the surrounding countries. Good team, enough injection of humor. Enjoy reading characters background stories.
Didn’t think I would like this book, but found it to be enjoyable so liked it pretty good.
Easy to get pulled into the plot. Enough twist to keep you guessing. Was a good way to kill a lazy aftetnoon.
Realistic crime investigation, good plot.
Kept my interest from start to finish.
Nice page turner, looks like it will make a pretty decent series.
Talk about a slow start! I almost didn’t get past the first chapter of this book which reads like the transcript for a travelogue of Gibraltar. The author initially overdoes the detail on landmarks and historical significance of the island, his attraction for “the Rock” clearly evident.
But…but once past the lethargic start, there’s a multi-decade mystery that is so compelling you’ll not want to stop reading. It takes a while to get to know the main characters, and it’s obvious there is more to tell about them in future installments of the series. However, all questions regarding murder and who did what are answered by the end of the book. It’s doubtful you’ll discern the culprit in advance (I certainly didn’t!).
An enjoyable read for anyone who considers themselves an arm chair detective.
This is an interesting story, with some appealing characters and some good twists in it to make you want to read it till the end. The Gibraltar setting is a nice change of pace, too. That said, there are alot of characters, so it is a bit of a challenge to keep up with who is who, and the story jumps around quite a bit, making it somewhat hard to follow. Overall, I’d give it
three and a half stars.
Keeps you guessing all night.
Great read for history buffs as it tells the history of Gibralter in WWII that many of us were never exposed to.
Fun!
I enjoyed reading this, it held my attention and the ending was different. I struggle to finish too many books thinking this has got to get better. I liked this one and will revisit it.
A few chapters and was bored to tears…..
I enjoyed this book. Having visited “The Rock,” I liked all the references to the role of the island in WW2.
I particularly enjoyed this book since I lived in Spain and visited Gibraltar may times. Its accurate portrayal of a unique setting gave it a special appeal.
Well written and an easy read. Does not take days to read, but still enjoyable and entertaining.