Just going to get this out of the way at the beginning: as a former fan of <I>Mad Men</i>, I got a giggle from the name of one of the main characters here. There. Now then.

This is the tale of a man found dead in a bomb shelter the morning after an air raid in WWII London. The enemy action that killed him wasn't German, though – it was much more local than that, and it's up to Inspector Jago to find out who did it, preferably before he takes on the new assignment that unexpectedly lands in his lap.

It's a bit of an odd story, this. It begins with a long section from the point of view of the boy who finds the body, out for a bit of illicit not-quite-looting – and then the boy is barely heard from for the rest of the book. The suddenly imposed time limit felt strange, too, like an attempt to inject urgency into the plot which ultimately didn't really do it.

Another odd thing is the tendency of quite a few characters to do kind of a lot of speechifying to total strangers. At the most innocuous question, suddenly someone is giving a rather high-flown monologue about duty, or their life story, or their dreams and aspirations. Now and then might have just been the author loosing his inner poet or philosopher, but it happens frequently throughout.

All of the writing felt a bit self-conscious. There were moments where I could see what the author intended, but which did not quite come off as he wished. Certain moments were built up with little or no pay-off – they just dried up like shallow streams in a drought. Some character motivation was muddy as well; one character lies to the police with no reason that made sense except to extend the plot with their obstruction. There's also a deal of superfluous repetition and recapping.

It just felt fragmented, like there was no real anchor for the plot. I was never sure whether I was really supposed to like the characters, or whether they liked each other, or why characters behaved the way they did, or, honestly, why I was supposed to care. I appreciated the concept of "the Blitz detective", and the idea that it's hard to invest much time and effort into the murder of a single individual in the midst of carnage. I'd love to read the story I thought this was going to be, with all the terror and tension of London under constant threat of horrific bombing raids. But it didn't connect. I didn't feel it.

The usual disclaimer: I received this book via Netgalley for review.

England. 1940. The Blitz is on and getting uglier every night. Despite the war day to day life must go on.

So it is that on a Sunday morning, his only day off, Detective Inspector John Jago is called in to investigate a suspicious death in an air-raid shelter. A man has been murdered. He is quickly identified as a local teacher who was an avowed pacifist and conscientious objector. Is that why he was murdered? And why-on-earth would a pacifist have a gun in his pocket?

The resulting murder investigation reveals that no one really seemed to know the murder victim very well at all and many of the suspects have undisclosed connections to one another. Add to that whispers of a possible pay-off scam involving sub-standard air-raid shelters, crooked politicians, a possible budding romance for the Detective Inspector, and, of course, the war... you've got a pretty decent English mystery.

This is the third book in the Blitz Detective series, the first one I've read. It works well as a stand alone but there are many references to things that have happened before that lets you know you probably should've started with book one (as with most series I suppose). The author does a great job of setting the tone of war time England. I thought it got a little sidetracked with the personal demons of several of those who had survived extreme violence and death in the previous war (WWI) just because, in my opinion, it detracted from the ongoing storyline rather than adding an extra layer to it (which I believe is what the author intended). Still, it's a pretty good book that kept my attention throughout.

Enemy Action is smart and well written. While I can't think of any similar books offhand it reminded me of the British TV show "Foyle's War". I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys English mystery with a slight edge to it or historical mysteries.

***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book

It's 1940, the middle of the London Blitz, and there is a body in the aftermath of the nightly bombing raids. But this body isn't a victim of the bombs. No. This body was stabbed to death. Whodunit?

The investigation starts with Inspector Jago and his partner meeting all manner of people whose only relationship was that they knew or knew of the victim, none of whom appear to have any motive for killing him. As the story progresses, unexpected relationships emerge between the characters, which leave us with several having both motive and opportunity for the murder.

Yes, there were plenty of red herrings, and the end managed to both surprise me and make perfect sense. That's always the sign of an excellent mystery.

I was impressed by the character voices, about the way I could 'hear' the different accents. I was also impressed with the overall setting and background—the subplot around contract mismanagement, the comments about gender equity, the history in general. It gave the novel a sense of time and place I rarely see in Christian fiction.

And this was Christian fiction, although it's Christian fiction of a more understated variety (as is typical with British fiction). It's clear Inspector Jago is on a spiritual journey, whether he knows it or not. I'll watch that with interest in future books, along with his relationship with the pretty American journalist.

This is the third book in the Blitz Detective series, but can easily be read as a standalone novel. I haven’t read the first two in the series, but will be ordering them soon. Recommended for historical fiction lovers, especially those who like police procedural mysteries.

Thanks to Lion Publishing and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review. You can find out more about Mike Hollow at The Blitz Detective website.

Hi Karen,
My next review is as follows:-
“Enemy Action:The Blitz Detective Book 3”, written by Mike Hollow and published in paperback by Lion Fiction on 17th March 2017. 320 pages.ISBN-13: 978-1782642343

I was really blown away by the superb plotting and highly atmospheric story in this third book by this very gifted new author.

It is mid 1940 and a loud siren signals the end of an air raid in West Ham close to the docks where the German enemy aircraft were directing their bombs. People leave the air raid shelters and a young teenage boy uses the time to check into the shelters hoping to find lost property, but instead tragically finds the dead body of Paul Ramsay, a young teacher.

Detective Inspector John Jago, is called in from his day off to investigate who could have killed the teacher as he was stabbed to death and thus was clearly murdered. Jago establishs that Ramsay was a pacifist, desperate to avoid military service although he was the right age to qualify. A lot of people who had fought in the Great War resented anyone who wanted to avoid “doing his duty”, but would they murder because of their hatred of such contrary opinions. If the deceased was a pacifist why was he carrying a loaded revolver in his pocket? Who were his enemies?

Jago is assisted by a young police detective DC Peter Cradock and their interaction and conversations about the case and surroundings really made story much grittier and true to life.

I spent some of my working life in the area the author describes and this made the story so much more personal to me. Although I’m too young to remember the second World War I have had experiences of seeing bombed out buildings and the debris associated with them and this made me enjoy the historic detail and research the author so painstakingly made to give his stories the authenticity that they deserve.

The book reminded me also of the books of John Lawton and I was absolutely gripped until the final exciting page. I shall look out for more stories by this thrilling new author. Very strongly recommended.

Best wishes,

Terry

I received an e-ARC of this novel through NetGalley and Lion Hudson Plc Lion Fiction. Thank you.

This is the third book in the Blitz Detective series, but the first novel I've read either in that series or by Mike Hollow. The story takes place in the Essex County Borough of West Ham in 1940. This area of London was bombed so heavily during the Blitz because it was located near the shipyards and the German strategy was to disrupt the building of British ships to make the island even more isolated and incapable of fighting the German warships. In previous novels I've read about this horrible time in British history the people who took shelter from the bombs did so in the tunnels of the London Underground. In this story the people shelter in concrete bunkers constructed above ground, actually in the roadway. The author shows what a nightmare these above ground bunkers must have been with no ventilation systems and nothing to do but sit in the dark on a concrete bench or on newspapers on the floor until the all-clear sirens sounded. It's no wonder so many people made the deadly decision to remain in their homes or to go into their own Anderson shelters in their back garden.

When the all-clear is sounded after a night of heavy bombing the body of a man is found in one of the above ground shelters. Police are called and Detective Inspector John Jago and Detective Constable Peter Craddock follow the clues to discover the identity of the victim and the motive for the killing. Their investigation leads them to the pacifist movement, the state of the education system for the children remaining in the city and the temptations for corruption in the local governing body.

I learned many new facts concerning this point in the history of World War II and for that I thank the author. I could not seem to become completely engaged with the main characters, but I might be willing to read another book in this series in the future.

Book# 3, in The Blitz Detective Series

Book # 3 is as great as the previous installments and is just up my alley: a mix of historical events during WW11 and a dazzling murder mystery. Oh yes, people are squashed into stinking public air-raid shelters and when the all clear is heard, they disperse to go home and work……but in “Enemy Action”, Paul Ramsey…… is found stabbed and is definitely dead. DI John Jago and DC Peter Cradock are the lead investigators and we follow them in their mandate every step of the way.

The plot is very well constructed and captivating from start to finish, definitely a page turner. I love how the author depicts his protagonists: they are very sensitive, have an excellent relationship and complement each other in their views. The rich cocktail of secondary characters are well-drawn: we have a victim so called pacifist and more than one person who have a motive for murder……To top it all; we have some funny doings at the municipal level, kickbacks and blackmail, all of this is exciting to read. Seems things never change……Although a fiction this story is so realistic it feels you are there at the heart of the action. This is simply a fascinating read set against the backdrop of the air raids on East London. Mike Hollows has obviously paid great attention to details to bring both the characters and the environment alive. Excellent read…..I am looking forward to see what Mr. Hollows has in store for Jago and Cradock next…

I received this ARC from the publisher Lion Hudson Plc via NetGalleys for exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

5 stars

This is a very well written book. It flows beautifully. Mr. Hollow is a fine writer.

When the bombs finally quit falling during the blitz in England, in a stuffy air-raid shelter, the body of young Paul Ramsey is left behind.

DI John Jago and DC Peter Cradock set about to interview people who knew Ramsey. Since Ramsey was a “conchie” they interview people from the local organization, as well as his friends, fiancée and the people who taught at his school where he taught. What was he doing with a gun in his pocket? It seems out of character for someone who is against violence and war.

Then Jago and Cradock get wind of funny doings at the council level. It seems someone is taking kickbacks.

This is a very well written mystery. I truly enjoyed it. It flowed along and was interesting. I liked the relationship between Jago and Cradock. I also liked the philosophical warnings about war and all of its terrible toll – not only on the citizens of England, but also on the returning soldiers from the previous war.

I want to thank both Netgalley and Lion Hudson, Plc for allowing me the opportunity to read this most wonderful book.