Singapore 52 (Ash Carter Singapore Series Book One) by Murray Bailey.
Published 1st September 2017 by Heritage Books.
From the cover of the book:
Chinese New Year 1952Ash Carter had to leave the Middle East in a hurry. But when he arrives in Singapore he finds himself in the middle of a much bigger problem.
No one knows where, or when, or who but someone is planning an attack. Carter is told to make sure it doesn’t happen. With pressure from politicians and the army and with Chinese Secret Societies watching his every move, he has other plans.
He is more interested in finding out who killed his friend.
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Today, it is my pleasure to bring you my review of the first book in the Ash Carter Singapore series, Singapore 52, to mark the occasion of it becoming permanently free for Kindle readers on Amazon - you cannot get a better bargain that that, dear readers!
Singapore 52 finds Ash Carter running from a spot of trouble in the Middle East in 1952. He has resigned his commission as an officer in the SIB of the British Army following an incident he would rather forget, and made a hasty exit to Singapore after receiving a message from his old friend Tom Silverman asking for his help. When he gets there he finds that Tom has recently been killed in a car crash in the middle of the night on an isolated road. Immediately suspicious that this might not have been an accident, Carter is determined to find out exactly what happened to his friend and why.
Singapore is a small place and Carter's reputation as a first-class investigator has preceded him. Before he can begin his search for Tom's killer, he finds himself drafted by the powers that be into heading up an investigation into rumours of an impending attack, possibly using guns stolen from the military. With pressure from both the political and military authorities to get this sorted as soon as possible, and more than a little interference from the Chinese Secret Societies concerned that Carter will begin poking his nose in their affairs, reassigned Captain Carter has his work cut out for him - especially as his main priority is to get to the truth behind his friend's death.
Meanwhile, Carter is unaware that he has a secret opponent called Jin who is making plays behind the scenes to manipulate him, and of course there is a beautiful woman to distract him from his investigations too...
Having previously read Singapore Killer and Singapore Fire (in which Ash Carter gets up to very exciting shenanigans in Singapore in the guise of a Private Investigator a few years ahead of the events of Singapore 52), it was an absolute delight to go back and get acquainted with the Carter that first set foot in Asia straight out of the Middle East. Having also read the two prequels that Murray Bailey has now written about Carter's time in the SIB in Cyprus and Israel (Cyprus Kiss and The Killing Crew), I found myself in the perfect position to draw on exactly what Carter's life was like when he was still serving in the Army as well. However, you can easily go straight into this book if you have not read any of Bailey's other books, as Singapore 52 is actually the first Ash Carter book that he wrote.
Bailey has an impressive knack of immersing you right into the nitty gritty of the post World War II landscape, and this book does a splendid job of referencing all the many vying interests in Asia at this time, calling on deep rivalries left over from the WWII, the influence of the battles still being fought, and the shifting power plays that hint at the political changes to come - and he ties it all together in the form of a pacy thriller that holds your attention throughout.
There are two main threads to this story, one following Carter's search for his friend's killer and the other the rumoured attack by unknown insurgents, with some lovely little subplots around intrigue and deception that tie them together. Bailey brings in all the evocative vibes of a setting rich in sights, sounds, smells and the clash of cultures that make up the exotic melting pot that was Singapore at this time, using them nicely to enhance the story.
Carter gets himself here there and everywhere as he solves the many mysteries at play, characteristically not always on the right side of the law, making friends and enemies in true righter-of-wrongs style. He is not perfect, and this does get him into trouble at times, but it is always in the name of justice which is just what you need in an engaging protagonist. I particularly enjoy how Bailey pitches Carter to appeal to anyone who loves an intelligent, well-crafted thriller of the Jack Reacher type while still retaining the right feel for a period piece, weaving in a little James Bond and the delicious noir feel of a Sam Spade to somehow bring everything out just right for a 1950's story.
This is a tale full of danger and suspense, with an unsettling whisper of menace from the sinister interjections of the mysterious Jin, who Bailey very cleverly contrives to keep a secret until the end of the story. It certainly kept me guessing, and had me turning the pages faster and faster as everything built to a tense climax when Carter finally puts all the little pieces together.
For me, Bailey has all the elements I look for in a thriller that both entertains and gives you a look at an intriguing period of history, and his books really do deserve to be more widely known. I thoroughly enjoyed stepping back in time with Ash Carter to 1952, and look forward to meeting up again with him very soon as I explore the delights of the Singapore books I have yet to read!
Singapore 52 is available to buy now in hardback, paperback and ebook formats. It is permanently free as an ebook on Amazon and you can find the link HERE.
You can also find my reviews to the other books I have read by Murray Bailey below:
Thank you to Murray Bailey for sending me an ebook copy of this book in return for an honest review, and for inviting me to be part of this blog tour. I have also purchased a paperback copy.
About the author:
Murray is well travelled, having worked in the US, South America and a number of European countries throughout his career as a management consultant. However he also managed to find the time to edit books, contribute to articles and act as a part-time magazine editor.
Murray lives on the south coast of England with his family and a dog called Teddy.
Excellent review - it is interesting to read a review of a book that I also loved to see that all the things i think make it a must read are the same from your perspective
ReplyDeleteThanks Kevin! Murray's books certainly hit the spot! :-)
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