From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. An intelligent, fast-paced plot about radical groups orchestrating a race riot is only one highlight of Waites's superb third Joe Donovan thriller (after
Bone Machine). In a thoughtful subplot, the British author suggests it's not shared beliefs that draw some to extremist organizations, but a sense of belonging and acceptance that these groups offer the lost, the displaced and the unloved. Newcastle PI Joe Donovan and his ragtag information brokers investigate who's behind threatening calls to a former '70s radical. The calls coincide with a Muslim student's savage murder that point to the far-right National Unity Party. But this thinly veiled white supremacist group appears to be innocent and is poised to win big during the upcoming election. Waites masterfully pulls together a cohesive story about fanatical politics filled with surprises and suspense. Fans of Mark Billingham, John Connolly and Ken Bruen will find much to like.
(Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Imagine your young son was kidnapped from a department store while under your care. Imagine further that you’ve dedicated your now-tattered life to finding the boy, leaving behind your journalistic career to become a high-tech private investigator. And now you’ve discovered where your son is living; you check him out from a distance at his new home, but you need to get close to confirm the ID. Finally, imagine that, instead of then knocking on that door, calling in the police, or otherwise immediately doing everything in your power to effect a reunion, you place the lead on a back burner to pursue another case. That’s the premise Waites asks readers to swallow in the third Joe Donovan thriller. But Waites is a fine writer working with a gripping plot about extremist groups plotting to set off a race war in England, so readers willing to suspend their disbelief will be richly rewarded. Given the prominence of ex-radical Bill Ayers in the recent presidential campaign, the examination of how members of a Weather Underground–style British group weathered the decades should prove especially timely for U.S. audiences. --Frank Sennett
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.