Chinese New Year 1952
Ash Carter had to leave the Near East in a hurry. But when he arrives in Singapore he finds himself in the middle of a much bigger problem. No one knows where, or when, or who but someone is planning an attack. Carter is told to make sure it doesn’t happen. With pressure from politicians and the army and with Chinese Secret Societies watching his every move, he has other plans. He is more interested in finding out who killed his friend.
My thoughts: inspired by the author’s father’s time as an MP (military police) in Singapore while it was a British colony, this next installment of Ash Carter’s adventures finds the former Army captain looking for a missing friend who sent him a telegram. Needing to get away from Cyprus, Ash leaps at the chance to help his friend Tom out. Unfortunately he’s too late. But Tom had found something, and now Ash needs to find out what, get revenge, and help out the Governor’s office too.
Temporarily assigned back to the Army, he’s assisted by two MPs, the local police inspector and the glamorous Su Ling, niece of local businessman Andrew Yip. Who might also be a criminal.
Lots of twists and turns, red herrings (you’ll find out the meaning of lots of phrases as you go along too, thanks to Hedge), and distractions follow as Ash attempts to untangle his investigation. He’s also asked to find the mysterious lady dubbed Madam Butterfly who’s been robbing naive soldiers and causing embarrassment for the barracks.
Tired of playing politics, Ash of course immediately goes off book, conducting his job in a rather unorthodox manner – not keen on sharing the details with his superiors, his official investigation is a little light on the how he gets answers. And despite vowing not to spend too long in town, he starts to quite like Singapore and might just stick around….
Always fun and enjoyable, this had Ash hit the ground running. He’s out of SIB (Special Investigations Bureau) and doesn’t enjoy being dragged back into the military way of doing things, which bodes well for his future. Although he’s a rogue, he’s a lovable one and even the women he disappoints don’t seem able to stay mad at him.
The book is now available free on Amazon, and the sequel Singapore Girl is currently 99p or free on Kindle Unlimited.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in the blog tour but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 