When news of Sir Harry Oakes' murder in the Bahamas broke to the world on the morning of July 8,1943, one man was more concerned than most. He was the Duke of Windsor, then Governor of the British colony, whose job it was to ensure that the killer was caught and brought to justice. However, the Duke's actions in the aftermath of the 20th. century's greatest murder mystery raised more questions than answers, and cast doubt on his own intentions in calling in two Miami investigators of dubious worth. Was the Duke a conspirator in a gigantic cover-up? Did he try to excecute an innocent man in an attempt to protect himself and his friends? In this compelling tale, John Marquis presents an alternative view to the one generally accepted in the Bahamas, which is that the Duke was a bungler who mishandled the case. He believes the evidence strongly suggests that the Duke was a plotter with something to hide, and a cruel mission to condemn an innocent man. More than 60 years later, the story retains the power to mesmerise all those with a taste for intrigue in high places at a time when the western world faced its greatest peril. It is an electrifying tale of high society chicanery in a tropical paradise during wartime, with the hangman's noose providing a grusome backdrop. As a murder mystery, Blood and Fire has everything...
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
John Marquis (born Wigston Magna, Leicestershire, England, 1943) has been writing for a living since he was 17. In a 50-year newspaper, magazine and book career, he has been an award-winning investigative reporter, an international sports writer and the editor of several newspapers, books and magazines.
As the controversial managing editor of The Tribune in Nassau, Bahamas, he was credited with bringing down the national government in 2007 following a scandal involving a Cabinet minister and the American starlet Anna Nicole Smith. Through Reuters and other major news/features agencies, his work has appeared in many leading publications in Britain, the Americas and the Commonwealth. These include the Washington Post, the now defunct Washington Evening Star, the London Evening Standard, the Miami Herald, The Scotsman, the Boston Globe and The Independent of London.
In 1974, he won a British Press Award (known as the Oscars of British journalism) for exposing child negligence at two hospitals. As a London-based sports editor/writer in the 1970s and 1980s for the Thomson newspaper chain, he covered major fights all over the world, including several involving Muhammad Ali. He was also for ten years editor of the Falmouth Packet and associated titles in the English West Country, and a magazine and book publisher, launching popular titles like Cornwall Arts and Devon Arts.
In 2005, his first book - Blood and Fire: the Duke of Windsor and the Strange Murder of Sir Harry Oakes - was published to critical acclaim, being described by American reviewer Art Paine as the best written of all seven books about the case to date. In 2007, his second book - Papa Doc: Portrait of a Haitian Tyrant - threw new light on a spy trial in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1968. He was described by the best-selling novelist Arthur Hailey - a fan of his journalistic work - as 'a damned good writer' and praised by literary critic Sir Christopher Ondaatje for what he termed his 'explicitly accusatory' book on the famous Oakes murder mystery.
Eileen Dupuch Carron, veteran publisher of The Tribune in Nassau, described Marquis as 'a brilliant craftsman, a master of his profession' before his retirement from full-time journalism in 2009. Today, Marquis continues to write books at his home in Cornwall, England.
As the controversial managing editor of The Tribune in Nassau, Bahamas, he was credited with bringing down the national government in 2007 following a scandal involving a Cabinet minister and the American starlet Anna Nicole Smith. Through Reuters and other major news/features agencies, his work has appeared in many leading publications in Britain, the Americas and the Commonwealth. These include the Washington Post, the now defunct Washington Evening Star, the London Evening Standard, the Miami Herald, The Scotsman, the Boston Globe and The Independent of London.
In 1974, he won a British Press Award (known as the Oscars of British journalism) for exposing child negligence at two hospitals. As a London-based sports editor/writer in the 1970s and 1980s for the Thomson newspaper chain, he covered major fights all over the world, including several involving Muhammad Ali. He was also for ten years editor of the Falmouth Packet and associated titles in the English West Country, and a magazine and book publisher, launching popular titles like Cornwall Arts and Devon Arts.
In 2005, his first book - Blood and Fire: the Duke of Windsor and the Strange Murder of Sir Harry Oakes - was published to critical acclaim, being described by American reviewer Art Paine as the best written of all seven books about the case to date. In 2007, his second book - Papa Doc: Portrait of a Haitian Tyrant - threw new light on a spy trial in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in 1968. He was described by the best-selling novelist Arthur Hailey - a fan of his journalistic work - as 'a damned good writer' and praised by literary critic Sir Christopher Ondaatje for what he termed his 'explicitly accusatory' book on the famous Oakes murder mystery.
Eileen Dupuch Carron, veteran publisher of The Tribune in Nassau, described Marquis as 'a brilliant craftsman, a master of his profession' before his retirement from full-time journalism in 2009. Today, Marquis continues to write books at his home in Cornwall, England.
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully written,
By Rita Ambrose Jr "Rita" (Canada) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Blood and Fire: The Duke of Windsor and the strange murder of Sir Harry Oakes. (h/c) (Hardcover)
I have now read this book twice. The author uses a remarkable mastery of the English language to transform what could have been merely a systematic documentation of historic events into an enthralling, mysterious and beautifully written piece of literature. The book is truly addictive, and the author truly talented. The gorgeous language used is so finely implemented that it feeds the senses as well as the mind, and is completely absorbing. I am so deeply shocked at the one-star review below that I can only assume it was a personal attack upon Mr Marquis - it could be nothing else. The fact that 'Honest Abe' refers to the book as a novel shows either his neglect to read it, or his misunderstanding of the word "novel". The time-limit that was placed upon Mr Marquis while writing the book only serves to reiterate the seemingly unlimited talent that the man possesses.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Irresistable,
By
This review is from: Blood and Fire: The Duke of Windsor and the strange murder of Sir Harry Oakes (Paperback)
Blood and Fire by John Marquis is an excellent read. I found I couldn't put the book down after I started it. The mix of murder and royalty is irresistable.
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best book I've read this year - Doubt it'll be beaten,
By
This review is from: Blood and Fire: The Duke of Windsor and the strange murder of Sir Harry Oakes. (h/c) (Hardcover)
Well, what can I say. I didn't know much, if anything, about the 'Murder of the century' before a friend directed me towards this book. It is, without a doubt, on of the best books I've ever read. Not just for the compelling contents, which as other reviewers have stated, is impossible to put down, but especially for the sheer quality of the writing itself. John Marquis has brought the talents he has perfected over the years as a journalist, I discovered, and has bowled over all of the critics and undoubtley the general public too. Honest Abe disagrees, as his one star rating review explains. Is this a critique, or a personal attack? Is it rational? Not at all. Is it representative of the text in question? Hardly. Has Honest Abe ever honestly read the book? Unlikely.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Suggested Tags from Similar Products(What's this?)Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
