Only picked this up because I miss the Jim Stringer books so badly now that I have read the last one (or at least the last one he has published - I still live in hope). So I have no interest in the super rich except in a political negative sense. Anyway it was well written although plotted a bit unevenly I thought. Another reviewer (excellent review) pointed out "The most revealing threat comes through the captain of the yacht but this aspect is under played." Indeed! I think he means the man overboard incident but it's never referred to again as far as I can tell........ ( )

This book is about the 'super rich'.
Irritating point 1: The super rich did not wear suits...instead they dressed in 'ssyoots', and were 'ssyooper rich'!
Irritating point 2: English was not my best subject at school. Think of a criticism of written English and I'm sure the same comment was made about my essays. However, I'm sure my essays all made more sense than this book.

Of the 49 tracks, I listened to all but the last five. They were skimmed. I will note the author and narrators names...both to be avoided in future.

One star only...for Bolinda's courage in publishing this. ( )

I met Andrew Martin a few years ago when he was pointed out by a mutual friend in The Angel pub in Highgate, North London. Perhaps unwisely, given the amount of beer we had already drunk, I decided to wander over to tell him how much I had enjoyed his novel 'Bilton'. This potentially gratifying moment for him may have lost some of its lustre as I fell lamentably short of coherence as I tried to convey my enjoyment of his efforts, though he remained commendably polite and even thanked me for 'my kind words'.

As it happens, since then I had attempted to read a couple of his subsequent novels but had struggled to finish them, so I am not quite sure what prompted me to buy this, his latest offering. I am glad that I did, though. While he is now best known for his series of novels featuring Jim Stringer, the 'Steam Detective' this new novel is set in contemporary London, and features a cohort of Russian billionaires.

Detective Inspector Blake Reynolds is moved at very short notice to a special operational unit of the Metropolitan Police which is keeping an eye on the super rich. He soon learns that he is to replace Quinn, a maverick detective who had built up a reputation centred on his entirely unconventional approach to investigation. Quinn had been found shot though the head in St James's Park and is now fighting for his life.

In addition to taking on Quinn's caseload, Reynolds also inherits the utterly bizarre Victoria Clifford, Quinn's lugubrious assistant, and she is able to advise him about some of the protocols required for dealing with the super rich. These were new to me, too, though I doubt if I will have much opportunity to test their efficacy. Reynolds, however, does benefit from her guidance as he finds himself attending charitable parties at the London Library, drinks at Claridges and even a private jet sojourn to Monaco, while simultaneously trying to investigate the theft of a valuable diamond and the attack on Quinn. This search bring shim into contact with Russian billionaires and, even more alarmingly, their British fixer.

For most of the book the plot is a slow burner, with Martin capably building the atmosphere. I did struggle over the last couple of chapters, though, and felt that the author lost his way. Indeed, I wondered if he found himself battling against a tight deadline and found himself having to cut corners to sneak over the line in time. Still, over all an enjoyable nbovel, even if it didn't match up to 'Bilton'. ( )