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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Quirky little book – fast read but interesting
Good story that keeps you involved. Very European in slang and word usage so you have to guess sometimes
Memerable characters. Interesting location. Very well written Can’t wait for next book.
Keeps your Interest.
I enjoyed the story and characters. The protagonist was interesting and well thought out. The setting was very interesting and came to life on the pages of the book. I would definitely read another one of this author’s books.
Having visited Gibraltar, I bought this book thinking I’d enjoy a return visit. It could have been set anywhere. The famous Barbary Apes were mentioned on the first page, and were never mentioned again. I was disappointed. I was surprised by the ending, hence the “unpredictable” designation.
Too short
Better than I expected. Interesting location for the story. I now want to visit Gibraltar.
Nice entertaining read.
The book takes place in Gibralter, an unfamiliar location. The scenes bounced between an earlier time, and several current time scenarios, a bit disorienting. In the end it all came together. I can’t say I developed any attachment to the characters, but they have potential. It was a ‘good’ read. Not exceptional, but better than average.
This was a quick read. I liked that it was fast paced and had realistic characters.
A nice little mystery with interesting characters.
Was a good mystery, held my attention, would read another by this author
Unusual location and plot. Easy short read for the beach.
Quick easy read that kept my attention. The locale was interesting.
Uninspired.
This was located in a place I would not have thought about.
An excellent read.
Initially I thought this book contained too many elements for me to keep track of, all occurring in a setting–contemporary Gibraltar–about I which I knew next to nothing. But somehow Robert Daws pulled it off and the result was the first book I’ve read from start to finish in a long time. Nor was it the fear that, if I didn’t, I’d forget everything that was going on with whom, where, and why when I began reading again. It was the sheer joy of getting so caught up in a complex plot moved briskly forward by a perfectly matched trio of law enforcement officers who contributed just the right amount of quirkiness and wit at the right time.
Not what I expected. Will be interesting to see how the characters develop over time.