The Rock. Gibraltar. 1966.In a fading colonial house overlooking the Straits of Gibraltar, the dead body of a beautiful woman lays dripping in blood. The steel handle of a knife protrudes from her chest, its sharpened tip buried deep within her heart.The Rock. Present day.Detective Sergeant Tamara Sullivan arrives on The Rock on a three-month secondment from the London Metropolitan Police … Metropolitan Police Service. Her reasons for being here are not happy ones and she braces herself for a tedious and wasteful twelve weeks in the sun.
After all, murders are rare on the small, prosperous and sun-kissed sovereignty of Gibraltar and catching murderers is what Sullivan does best.
It is a talent she shares with her new boss, Chief Inspector Gus Broderick of the Royal Gibraltar Police Force. He’s an old-fashioned cop who regards his new colleague with mild disdain.
But when a young police constable is found hanging from the ceiling of his apartment, Sullivan and Broderick begin to unravel a dark and dangerous secret that will test their skills and working relationship to the limit.
“Elegant storytelling, an original location and a fine sense of place. Robert Daws is an exciting addition to the canon of 21st Century crime writers.’
Peter James. International bestselling author of the Inspector Roy Grace series.
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Take a trip to Gibraltar and enjoy the sun, beach, shops and an occasional death. This is a nice police procedure book with crisp, concise writing…which I appreciate.
Poor Sullivan is from the Met and sent to Gibraltar as a punishment for disobeying her boss….once you know why, your sympathy lies with Sullivan. She does her best to keep a stuff upper lip and comply with her new boss, Broderick.
Broderick is dealing with his own issues. There is a nice rapport with Sullivan and the rest of the police. And the scenery doesn’t hurt!
The deaths of two coppers, hung and considered possible suicides, is the front issue here. But the author entices us with a previous death years before and unlike other writers…he manages to deal with both crimes in a believable way. The police take their time looking at evidence, live the way Broderick refers to the forensic group as “the glee club”.
A fun read with an ending that comes up and ends quickly but satisfying.
An atmospheric introduction to the world of Sullivan and Broderick on the Rock of Gibraltar. Even though I’ve never been to Gibraltar, it now feels like a second home. Well-woven, unpredictable and deeply evocative of this intriguing and unique part of the world.
An unusual setting with a great plot, believable and likable characters and excellent writing. I wish the author would turn out more of these in this series,
Martin Tavares-a red herring-is one of the least sympathetic widowers in fiction. His choice caused his wife’s death, so, naturally, he blames the police. He quite unnecessarily traded his wife’s life for his own.
I found him to be annoying. The rest of the story and characters were decently done and it was entertaining. The Tavares character simply made me annoyed and I frequently left off reading the story until I had forgotten the obnoxious character.
A good read. Would like more from the author, characters and setting.
Great read if you love mysteries!
A great read that has my wife and I looking at going to Gibraltar for a visit.
I figured out the ending about half way through, but it was interesting setting and easy reading.
Excellent book & I learned so much
I enjoyed the local color. I have never been to Gibraltar so I found the descriptions and locales fascinating.
Easy and interesting read for murder-mystery lovers. Believable characters that make you want to know about their next crime-solving techniques!
Fast moving with lots of action and realistic, likeable characters! Wanted another one right after finishing!
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I felt the main character was well developed as were some of the other characters. I’ve read so many books that I tend to forget which ones I’ve read. However, this book has stuck with me. The scenery was well described, the plot well developed, the action had a great pace. It makes me want to go to Gibraltar.
Thoroughly enjoyed this book!
I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about the British legal system and how much is demanded of their officers. This story blended ages and situations wonderfully with the background of the history of Gibraltar. Good read!
I enjoyed the book. Good story line. A nice place to get lost for awhile.
As good as Stephen King’s “11/22/63”.
Interesting location, well described.
Complicated
Interesting mainly because of the setting. Pretty good characters.