First published 1st September 2017.
From the cover of the book:
Chinese New Year 1952
British ex-military investigator, Ash Carter finds himself in the middle of a political game between the army, the police and a Triad-style gang.
Someone intends to attack Singapore and Carter is tasked to stop it. But Carter is more intent on solving the mystery of who and why someone killed his friend.
A mystery-thriller for fans who like a strong protagonist and a twist in the tale.
Ideal for fans of Lee Child, Baldacci, Scott Blade etc who like the twist of a Harlen Coben novel.
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Singapore, 1952. Ash Carter 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 is 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 Carter will poke his nose in their affairs, he has his work cut out for him.
Meanwhile, Carter is unaware that he has a secret opponent called Jin who is making plays behind the scenes to manipulate him, and there is a beautiful woman to distract him from his investigations too...
The Ash Carter Mystery Thriller books are one of my favourite historical adventure series, so I am delighted to reshare my thoughts about the first instalment of Carter's Singapore adventures as the series gets a reboot!
The Ash Carter Mystery Thriller series as a whole follows former Captain Carter during his Private Investigator years in Singapore, beginning as he sets foot in Asia in 1952, having escaped a spot of bother in the Near East. You can discover more about Carter's earlier adventures in the prequel series, the Ash Carter Near East Thrillers, but you do not need to have read them to enjoy Singapore 52.
Murray has an impressive knack of immersing you in 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 sub-plots 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 during this period, 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 Murray pitches Carter's adventures 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 Murray 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.
I have read many of Murray's excellent novels since picking up Singapore 52 in 2020, and have enjoyed them all. His thrillers have all the elements I look for in novels that entertain and immerse you in intriguing periods of history and I cannot recommend his books highly enough!
Singapore 52 is available to buy now in hardback, paperback and ebook formats (ebook free on Amazon).
A version of this review was first published by me in 2020.
About the author:
Murray Bailey Is the author of the Ash Carter thrillers, inspired by his father's experience in the Royal Military Police in Singapore in the early 1950s. From the prequel series, based in Cyprus and Israel, The Prisoner of Acre won the 2025 Page Turner Award. A post-Singapore series is based in the Philippines. The Heretic Cypher is the first book of a trilogy featuring a young Robert Langdon-type character decrypting secret messages written by an ancient Egyptian.
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 was born in Manchester and now lives on the south coast of England with his family and two dogs, Teddy and Muffin.
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