Mask of the Verdoy: A George Harley Mystery
Phil Lecomber "Mask of the Verdoy: A George Harley Mystery"
Diablo Books | English | October 9, 2014 | ISBN: 0993047203 | 460 pages | azw, epub, lrf, mobi | 3,15 mb
Diablo Books | English | October 9, 2014 | ISBN: 0993047203 | 460 pages | azw, epub, lrf, mobi | 3,15 mb
The Mask of Verdoy is first and foremost a page-turner. It sits comfortably in the thriller/mystery/detective genre something to take on holidays or read in bed to displace the stresses of the day but it adds a nice twist of historical authenticity. The novel is set in London in the nineteen thirties, a time of desperate poverty and ostentatious affluence. Pea-soupers, working class camaraderie, and the casual violence of London's underworld all make an appearance as the effects of the Great War followed by the Great Depression push many to turn away from mainstream politics and look for more extreme solutions to the countries problems with all the echoes of that for our modern times.
The main protagonist is George Harley, a Philip Marlow character of humble origins trying to stick to his personal values as he gets swept up in the great events of the time, but there are other well drawn characters, and flashes of humour without every slipping into slapstick.
There must have been a lot of research to build such a convincing milieu so I am sure we will hear a lot more of George Harley, I will certainly be reading the next one.
No Other Mirrors, Please!