It’s 1922, the Great War has been over for 4 years, and former sniper Logan Bishop has left the mean streets of Chicago for London. Having worked as a Pinkerton Detective, he’s now a Private Investigator with a morphine addiction. A message from his estranged preacher father, out of the blue, opens up a can of worms that sees Bishop head North to Edinburgh. But when he arrives, he soon finds himself embroiled in a murder case
The novel has everything you imagine when you think of classic Noir – the detective in a trench coat, collar up, wandering through foggy, grimy streets. The mysterious dames you don’t know whether to trust… Gangsters and guns… but transposed from the usual Chicago or New York, and instead taking place in 1920s Edinburgh, a location brought so vividly to life by the author.
The writing has a cinematic quality that brings the action to life in a way you can almost feel. The Winter Carnival scenes feel like a particularly trippy dream episode, a splash of colour in a world that’s black and white and morally grey.
There’s danger, and violence; the life of a Private Investigator is not an easy one. Yet however horrific things get, it’s nothing compared to the horrors of the war that revisit Bishop often.
I found myself totally engrossed in this, and I hope Bishop will return!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Luke Deckard is the author of No Saints Only Killers, which was shortlisted for the Amazon New Voices Awards and a finalist at Bloody Scotland’s Pitch Perfect. He is the co-host of CINEMA SLEUTHS podcast, a reviewer for Get Your Comic ON, and mentors creative writing students at the University of Westminster.
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ABOUT THE BOOK
American ex-pat Logan Bishop is a war-damaged, morphine-dependent private investigator.
When his estranged father, Reverend Daniel Bishop, arrives from Chicago, Logan refuses to see him—until his father is brutally attacked.
Before slipping into a coma, Daniel leaves Logan with a desperate plea: find Greta Matas-a woman tied to his past-before she’s killed.
Logan heads to Edinburgh in search of answers.
But from the moment he arrives, nothing adds up. Greta is missing. Her son is wanted for murder. And Logan is being watched.
By the police. By gangsters. By men who don’t want the truth uncovered.
As Logan is pulled deeper into a web of lies and corruption, he realises the truth may cost him his life.
Many thanks to Paste Creative Tours and the author for the opportunity to review this addictive novel!
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