Second To Sin (BlackJack Book Two) by Murray Bailey

 

Second to Sin (BlackJack Book Two) by Murray Bailey.

Published 6th March 2023 by Three Daggers.

From the cover of the book:

"It only takes a second to sin," Father Thomas said.

He believes in saving souls, but Charles Balcombe is beyond saving. His control over his killer instinct appears to be weakening. BlackJack has killed again and more questions are being asked of Detective Inspector Munro. He is under increasing pressure to solve the murders, especially when he picks up more cases from Kowloon rather than solving his own.

As Balcombe battles with his demon, he investigates the death of a young woman. Was it an accident or did she kill herself? At first Balcombe thinks it's straightforward but as he digs, other cases reveal an evil in Hong Kong. One that could consume them all.

Set in 1954, this is book 2 of the series. It can be read as a stand-alone but the author recommends book 1 (Once a Killer) first.

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Hong Kong, 1954. The man that calls himself Charles Balcombe is struggling to keep his alter ego BlackJack under control, as the arrangement he has made with Detective Inspector Munro to find an outlet for BlackJack's talents is not going quite as smoothly as hoped. BlackJack is getting reckless, and Detective Inspector Munro is walking a fine line coping with the pressure to somehow solve his crimes while preventing them being linked to Balcombe. 

Balcombe needs a distraction. Fortunately, an investigation into the death of a young Catholic woman, who may or may not have committed suicide, comes his way at just the right time. At first, this case seems unremarkable, but Balcombe becomes increasingly concerned that the deaths of other Catholic young women may not be a coincidence. Is there evil at work in Hong Kong?

Meanwhile, Munro has the added headache of being under the beady of eye of a man who wants his job, and he gets embroiled in a case that sent his former colleague off the rails...

Second to Sin is the second book in the excellent BlackJack series, which takes the villain from one of Bailey's Ash Carter books, Singapore Killer, and lets him run free in his own thrilling adventures in 1950s Hong Kong.

The first book in the series, Once a Killer, established BlackJack's adopted cover as canny investigator Charles Balcombe, the debauched lounge-lizard hiding a compulsion to protect the vulnerable. By the end of that book, Balcombe forms an unconventional partnership with Detective Inspector Munro who hopes to use BlackJack as a tool to target organised crime. But BlackJack is not a force that can easily be controlled, and at the beginning of this second instalment, the boundary between Balcombe and his inner demon is becoming dangerously blurred.

Balcombe needs to channel his energy into a new investigation to stop BlackJack's murderous urges taking over, and this one is quite different from anything he has encountered before. Bailey weaves his magic to create a twisty mystery around the deaths of young Catholic women in Hong Kong, that has Balcombe gradually uncovering a pattern that has been missed by the authorities. It is a mystery that beautifully explores notions of sin and redemption, and in getting to the bottom of the crimes Balcombe also reflects upon his own capacity to cast aside his transgressions and seek absolution through a more conventional existence. Of course, BlackJack needs to come out to play too, and Bailey has him once again pursuing the undesirables that inhabit the dark underbelly of Hong Kong's criminal class in parallel with Balcombe and Munro's investigative storylines, with entertaining blood-soaked results. 

Balcombe's continued tussle with his true nature is central to this story, as he wavers between the light and shade that make up his identity. But it is Munro's character that develops in leaps and bounds in this second book, making him a very engaging foil for Balcombe. You get to learn a lot more about what makes him tick, and his determination to see things through. He becomes consumed by the unsolved case of a missing girl, making it his personal crusade, and intriguingly it pushes him into his own dark place where he fears for his sanity. Munro's investigation easily carries enough weight to make his side of the tale equally as absorbing as Balcombe's, and I found myself absolutely gripped as I flipped back and forth between the separate threads of their inquiries.

The tension in this book builds with exquisite slow burn, ending in a delicious trade-off between Munro and Balcombe/BlackJack that is immensely satisfying. There is a lovely flash of dark humour in the way Munro deals with the unscrupulous character who tries to oust him from his job too - with a little help from his conflicted help-mate Balcombe, and Balcombe's ever resourceful assistant Albert, who it was great to see back in the thick of it.

As ever, Bailey has produced another a top-class crime thriller that is steeped in evocative vibes of his setting - in this case, bringing 1950s Hong Kong alive. He also looks back to how the wartime occupation of Hong Kong by the Japanese affected the lives of many of the characters here, with perfectly pitched poignancy. I always find myself learning something new about the historical period in which Bailey sets his stories, and this was no exception.

This is the most exciting book I have read of Murray Bailey's yet, which is saying a lot. I consumed this latest one in a single, breath-taking session, and did not want it to end. I cannot wait for BlackJack book three!

Second to Sin is available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats.

Thank you to Murray Bailey for sending me a 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 Is the author of Amazon bestseller Map of the Dead, the first of the series based on his interest in Egyptology. His main series however is the Ash Carter thrillers, inspired by his father's experience in the Royal Military Police in Singapore in the early 1950s.

Murray is well traveled, 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.