Nothing else mattered. He’d been cut loose by his bosses and his twisted vision of what had happened saw only one ending: revenge. And that revenge was centred solely on Rocco.1963, France. A farmer reports a truck ramming into a car near Picardie, followed by gunfire. A group of Englishmen are brought in after a bar fight. A tramp’s body is discovered in a burnt out truck. All this occurring after multiple attempts on the President’s life.Inspector Lucas Rocco knows there’s a connection somewhere, and is recruited by Colonel Saint-Cloud to assist with the President’s Security. Yet despite all clues pointing to the Pont Noir for the next attempt, both Massin and Saint-Cloud reject his suspicions. Left with no other option, Rocco decides to investigate the situation alone, risking censure by his superiors.And he must also contend with the lethal response of English gangsters if he should go too far. When the group of Englishmen return to France Rocco finds himself the victim of a set-up, leading to his suspension and investigation for bribery. With no badge, no authority and unsupported, Rocco is still determined to continue his investigation...Review'You have to love Rocco. He is France's answer to Jack Reacher' Crimesquad About the AuthorADRIAN MAGSON began writing short fiction and features for women's magazines, contributing over the years to publications in the UK, US, Scandinavia, Japan and Australia. As well as writing comedy material and stories for BBC radio, he also turned to writing crime thrillers, and was shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Debut Dagger Award. Since then he has gone on to have 12 crime novels and spy thrillers published, as well as a writer's help book ('Write On!') and is a regular contributor to Writing Magazine. Views: 14
When a doctor investigating fraud in a visiting New Age cult winds up dead, hotel detective Am Caulfield scours the premises for clues while struggling to keep a group of swingers under control, in the sequel to The Hotel Detective. From Publishers WeeklyThe hospitable Am Caulfield is beset by more hostility in this amusing sequel to The Hotel Detective. Now house detective at San Diego's Hotel California, Am is enduring new Japanese owners, staff peccadilloes, bizarre conventions and a murder or two. Dr. Kingsbury, a guest who has made a career of debunking fraudulent New Age mentalists?some of whom are attending a Union of Near Death Experiences Retreat at the hotel?has been poisoned. Am joins forces (and karma) with comely reporter Marisa Donnelly to dig into Kingsbury's less-than-estimable past. At the same time, the house dick struggles to keep the portly new manager, Hiroshi, from imposing Japanese efficiency on the hotel's eccentric ambience. East finally meets West after Hiroshi falls for Am's beloved station wagon, a surfer's woody that runs well only near the ocean, and the hotel detective and the fat innkeeper become allies in tracking the killer. Russell and his readers have great fun as he contrasts Californian and Japanese philosophies, and likable Am bumbles along, holding true to his ex-surfer's outlook on life. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalPhlegmatic Hotel California security director Am Caulfield resents the Japanese who purchased the historic oceanfront property and transformed his job. A beached whale in front of the hotel and a murder within exacerbate the already problematic communications between Caulfield and his Japanese boss. Life in the ritzy hotel cosmos continues, though, when Caulfield sabotages a swingers' "swap meat," digs into the background of the murder victim, and interrogates conventioneers who have had near-death experiences. The protagonist's banter, while not always humorous, remains light-handed, especially in scenes involving Japanese circumspection. From the author of The Forest Prime Evil (LJ 3/1/92); for larger collections.Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 14
Nebula and World Fantasy Grand Master Jack Vance is one of the most admired and cherished writers of science fiction and fantasy in the world, and is one of the truly important and influential storytellers of the 20th century. From his first published story "The World Thinker" in 1945 to his final novel Lurulu in 2004, Vance has shown an astonishing range of inventiveness, versatility and sheer storytelling power, as well as a gift for language and world-building second to none. Winner of the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy and Edgar awards, his acclaimed first book The Dying Earth and its sequels helped shape the face of modern heroic fantasy for generations of readers -- and writers! In more than sixty novels, he has done more than any other author to define science fantasy and its preeminent form: the planetary adventure. Born in San Francisco in 1916, Vance wrote much of what you'll find between these covers both abroad and at home in the hills above Oakland, either while serving in the merchant marine or traveling the world with his wife Norma, all the while pursuing his great love of fine cuisine and traditional jazz. Now, at last, the very best of Vance's mid-length and shorter work has been collected in a single landmark volume. With a Preface by Vance himself and a foreword by long-time Vance reader George R R Martin, it stands as the capstone to a splendid career and makes the perfect introduction to a very special writer. Views: 14
This latest Baantjer mystery delves into a grotesque double murder in a well-known Amsterdam hotel. Inspector DeKok must unravel clues from two unexpected characters: a six-year-old girl who has trouble sleeping and a respected accountant who seeks DeKok's advice on committing the perfect crime. In a surprising twist, DeKok meets with the murderer and tries everything possible to prevent the man from giving himself up to the police. Risking the anger of his superiors, DeKok goes so far as to disappear in order to prevent the perpetrator from being found. With Dead Harlequin, Baantjer has created yet another intelligent, absorbing tale. Views: 14
Miami has always set the weirdness bar, but Serge Storms is back in action and ready to pole vault over it.First, there's the media frenzy over the Hollow Man, a gutless corpse found on the beach. And yet people think it's perfectly normal to find dead sharks in the middle of downtown boulevards—or to spot black mushroom clouds behind the airport. Then there are the roving bands of carjackers who suddenly find themselves inconvenienced. Not to mention people lurking outside sex-addiction meetings.Could this be the work of Serge, that eccentric trivialista and one-man vigilante? And why is he extensively photographing foreign consulates right before the critically important Summit of the Americas comes to town? Does it have something to do with Serge's declaration to tell his ever-stoned sidekick, Coleman, that he's decided to become a spy? Of course he's not working for anyone yet, so Serge is content to just spy for himself until he shows up on radar and... Views: 14
