I got about half way through this spy novel and realised that if they ever had a spy in Eastenders his life would look like the one in this book. For example, Becky dies ... it was in a car crash ... it wasn't an accident ... George did it! Becky's death was spread over virtually the entire book and the four elements I have just shown were revealed one by one by one by one. Just like life in Wolford.

The basic storyline is good once you appreciate that nothing is so simple and that every possible sad and bad thing that can happen to the main characters WILL happen.

Charlie and George meet as they work together in a photo kiosk in a London Tube Station. Quite quickly something happens to one of the men that involves a beautiful woman that the other man cannot fathom. That's it, the story's up and running from that moment on.

Without wishing to ruin any part of the story at all, it turns out that both men are spies and both have been given a task ... kill the other! George has to kill Charlie and Charlie has to kill George.

They decide to work together on this one: firstly, was it a mistake that they should kill each other? If it wasn't a mistake, who ordered it and why? Is there a friend they can turn to? And so on. All dealt with pretty well except for the Eastenders element!

There's a series of chases now that take us all over London and to various other locations in the South East of England before branching off abroad: Europe and beyond. How they escape to Europe is probably not so credible but then again, there are thousands of illegal immigrants ghosting their way in the other direction so why not, I suppose?

Some people die, there is some fighting, there are some shocks and surprises. Worth a read if you like the modern style of spy novel which, of course, the UK government insists does not exist. That is, there is no James Bond with a licence to kill in the British spying game. That's not true according to this book!

Irritations: the language that the author did not need to use

As is my wont, I feel obliged to point out the solecisms in the book: the language the author uses but which I'd rather he didn't! Generally, it's Americanisms that add nothing to the story.

page 146 "I drive or we talk right here, right now" That just gets on my nerves!
page 146 " police car keened past" ... actually I wondered whether this is an Americanism or a mistake as I cannot find the verb to keen in my disctionary!
page 152 "... the silver Volvo S40 sitting in the corner of the lot." I hate that!
page 164 " floors E through Z ..." It's far easier to say E to Z for goodness' sake!
page 166 "... he thought to himself as he exited the lift." Another one that makes no sense and it is far easier to say left the lift. Thank goodness he didn't say exited the elevator.
page 260 "... he could not hear a dial tone." He meant dialling tone.
page 265 "We can't bring a weapon through security." That really grates because he meant We can't TAKE a weapon ...
page 270 "... the sun seemed to peek through the storm clouds ..." Eesh! Peep please.
page 322 "To lose your wife to the mundanity of a car wreck was one thing. Car crashes we always used to say.

Here's a familiar one that I was beginning to think I would not see, not a complaint but a stylistic matter:

page 232 "Heart pounding, Charlie arced up the main left staircase ..." Hooray, someone's heart was pounding. In spy and detective stories hearts usually pound a lot sooner than page 232 and a lot more often ... I saw just this example of pounding! I will ignore the verb to arc in this case.

Duncan Williamson
17^th August 2009