Published 1st March 2021.
From the cover of the book:
The Endgame...
January 1954:It's a new year and a potential new beginning.
Ash Carter is in love, but Su Ling is inextricably linked to Andrew Yipp, the head of the biggest Chinese Secret Society in Singapore.
Political tensions are high and the Secretary for Internal Security tasks Cater to find evidence against Yipp. Fail to do so and Su Ling will be arrested and charged.
Once again, caught between the government and the criminal gang, it's time for Carter to choose. Escape now or stand and fight?
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I first met Ash Carter in Murray Baily's exciting Singapore Killer (review here), which is book five in the series, and was really looking forward to finding out what was in store for him in this final book, Singapore Fire.
This time, we find ex-British army officer, Ash Carter, six months into his new career as a private investigator in 1950s Singapore. His reputation has spread after the 'BlackJack' case, which means he finally has some more interesting mysteries to work on, and with the irascible Madam Chau, his quirky receptionist, at his side, things seem to be going well.
Well, that is, until he find himself romantically entangled once more with a face from the past - Su Ling, the beautiful mistress and protégé of the very dangerous Andrew Yipp, head of the biggest Chinese Secret Society in Singapore. Their passionate liaisons are not going to stay secret from Yipp for long, so if they are serious about being together, fleeing Singapore will be the only answer.
To complicate matters, Carter has been given the almost impossible job of bringing Yipp down by the Secretary for Internal Security, and if he is going to keep Su Ling from being arrested then he had better do something about it - after all, this could work to both their advantages.
Add into the mix an unexpected lead that offers the chance to tie up some loose ends in the 'BlackJack' case, political manoeuvring, civil unrest, an impending gang war, and a distraction in the form of feisty reporter Linda Wu on the trail of currency counterfeiters, and there is plenty to get your teeth into here.
This book takes you right into the heart of the cultural melting pot of 1954 Singapore, and Murray Bailey regales the reader with an abundance of historical detail, slickly working into the tale many of the facets of life that impact on the people living here. As Carter goes about getting the job done, we get a glimpse of the wide gulf between the poorest of the poor and the high society crowd, the political tensions between the government and those who want to end British rule, and the power of the Chinese Secret Societies. We come across corruption and abuse of power in its many forms, dirty secrets, loathsome lies, love, loss and the kindness of strangers - and a lot of delicious double dealing too! The characters are rich and varied, with plenty of strong female players, and the twisty plot is extremely engaging.
It can be read as a stand-alone, but to get the best out of it I would suggest you should try to read at least the previous book, Singapore Killer, to give depth and meaning to the relationships, story setting, and more especially the 'BlackJack' references - and it's a cracking story, so why wouldn't you?
There are enjoyable echoes of James Bond in the action sequences here (with a crafty little reference to 007 in the text), and Philip Marlowe in the gumshoe vs gangster elements, but Carter also shows us more of his softer side in this book - something which neither early James Bond, or Mr Marlowe, are overly familiar with. This softer side strangely reminded me of Indiana Jones, especially with the nice vein of sardonic humour, but I leave you to choose your own poison.
I ended up reading this book in a single entertaining sitting, desperate for the threads to work themselves out - and I was not prepared for the hair raising ending that Murray Bailey had in store for me! Well played, Mr Bailey! I am a bit sad to see the end of the series here and rather hope our author may be tempted to pick up the story again where this book finishes, because I need to know what happens next - time will tell!
Singapore Fire is coming in e-book and paperback formats on 1st March 2021 and is available to pre-order now!
Thank you to Murray Bailey for sending me an e-copy of this book in return for an honest review and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.
About the author:
Murray Bailey got his first taste of success when he was published in the Times at 18 and in his local newspaper.
Although he went on to pursue a different career, he continued to write and edit and became the editor of an international magazine and editor of 4 technical books.
His first work of fiction, I Dare You, was published in 2016 and The Lost Pharaoh continues the ancient Egyptian story glimpsed in Map of the Dead.
Murray was born in Greater Manchester, England and has being moving south ever since. He now lives on the beautiful Dorset coast with his wife and family.
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