Book #56 Absolute Proof

Absolute Proof by Peter James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Proof is the enemy of faith

For a moment I thought I had stumbled into the pages of a book by Simon Toyne or even Dan Brown. Does God exist? What of the God Particle and the Big Bang Theory? And if two particles collided at the beginning of time and created the universe - who put them there in the first place?

Ross Hunter finds himself faced with this dilemma. Hunter is a successful freelance journalist; he is contacted by Dr Harry F. Cook, a former RAF officer and a retired history of art professor at Birmingham University: ”I know this is going to sound strange but I’ve recently been given absolute proof of God’s existence - and I’ve been advised there is a writer, a respected journalist called Ross Hunter, who could help me to get taken seriously”. Could such proof really exist? Hunter is sceptical but intrigued. To be able to publish such a momentous story could be the making of him and his expectant wife, Imogen.

Who else might want to lay their hands on such ‘evidence’? The Vatican? The Anglican church? High-profile militant atheists? Big pharma organisations? Or perhaps a forty-six-year old evangelist preacher, Pastor Wesley Wencelas, who has amassed huge wealth from the gullible? Throw them all into the mix and you have a thriller of ‘divine’ proportions! Hunter will put himself in serious harms way to seek the proof, our Lord’s DNA… The Archbishop of Canterbury tells him: ”This is on a different scale to anything you’ve delved into before. You are tackling the most fundamental question for humankind. And there are a lot of people in the world who would use religious belief to legitimise violence….”.

And how on earth could Michael Henry Delaney, an ageing American close magician, be involved?

Peter James has tackled a very difficult subject. The idea for the book was first given to him in 1989. Read how he copes with the most fundamental question for humankind.

And a quite stunning ending!!

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Book #55 When The Music's Over

When the Music's Over by Peter Robinson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I am a fan of DCI Banks on TV - presently watching re-runs on ITV3. Strangely though, I have only read one previous book by Peter Robinson. I've jumped in at No. 23 here. Alan Banks has been promoted to Detective Superintendent but still retains his active status. Annie Cabbot is now a DI. Familiar characters. Banks has to investigate allegations of rape back in the 60s; Linda Palmer was attacked aged just 14 by celebrity entertainer Danny Caxton, now in his 80s. A case that is as old as they come and has all the hallmarks of similar events with Jimmy Saville and Rolf Harris.

Meanwhile Cabbot is brought in to investigate the vicious beating and murder of a 15-year-old girl found in a remote countryside lane.

The investigations are slow and frustrating. Two young girls, two unspeakable crimes in a labyrinthine plot. The dialogue is spot on. This is how conversation is so realistic, unspectacular language in Robinson's hands. This is top notch police procedure that spans 482 pages - perhaps a tad too long.

Nevertheless a very satisfying read.

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Book #54 The Body on the Shore

The Body On The Shore by Nick Louth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A successful architect, Peter Young, is assassinated - shot with two bullets through his office window. A body is found on a remote Lincolnshire shore. Two Albanian children, adopted by a wealthy couple, Sophie and Dag Lund, suddenly disappear. Abducted? Are these seemingly unrelated events connected in any way? DCI Craig Gillard was the on-call detective in Surrey when Young was killed. How was Young shot through his 2nd storey office window? From a high vantage point?

Strange symbols are found at the various locations. Geoff Meadows, a former detective chief superintendent at the National Crime Agency is one of the few experts on Albanian crime outside academia. He recognises the symbol as the triple-headed eagle of the Dragusha clan, a notorious Albanian mafia family.

The police investigation will find connections that take Gillard to Albania and become embroiled in the blood feud between the Dragusha and Kreshniki crime families. Assisted by Sergeant Tokaj:

'This is the empire of blood,' Tokaj said, spreading his hands. 'Built on violence, extended through marriage, cemented by corruption and bulwarked by fear.'

Why is Gillard in Albania? Why has he put himself in harm's way? No more spoilers. Read it and find out. The Body on the Shore is different - full of menace and dark moments and a totally unexpected twist that is breathtaking in its audacity.


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