Ishmael Jones is someone who can’t afford to be noticed, someone who lives under the radar, who drives on the dark side of the road. He’s employed to search out secrets, investigate mysteries and shine a light in dark places. Sometimes he kills people. Invited by his employer, the enigmatic Colonel, to join him and his family for Christmas, Ishmael arrives at the grand but isolated Belcourt Manor in the midst of a blizzard to find that the Colonel has mysteriously disappeared. As he questions his fellow guests, Ishmael concludes that at least one of them – not least Ishmael himself - is harbouring a dangerous secret, and that beneath the veneer of festive cheer lurk passion, jealousy, resentment and betrayal. As a storm sets in, sealing off the Manor from the rest of the world, Ishmael must unmask a ruthless murderer they strike again. - from Netgalley.com
I have enjoyed several of Simon Green's books over the years, and this was no exception. For some reason, I was a bit leery of reading this, thinking it was possibly a book in the middle of a series, and having maybe not read the possible prior stories, I would be left on the darkside of the road (sorry for the pun). There need be no worries. Whether this is a first or a stand-alone novel, I felt there was enough background on characters and their history to make the story enjoyable, yet also leave me wanting to know more about the main character, Ishmael Jones. The overall plot was a bit boring, reminding me of an old movie I saw many years ago, and when I was explaining the book to a friend, they said "Oh, like CLUE" and I had to agree it sort of was similar. Either way, the story had a few different twists than just a normal 'the butler did it'- type mystery. Was a delightful read, and I shall keep my eyes open for future Ismael Jones stories!
I received an ARC from Severn house publishing through Netgalley.com in exchange for a review.
No comments:
Post a Comment