This is the first in an interesting looking crime fiction series set in London at the beginning of the Blitz, the bombing raids by the Luftwaffe in September 1940.

Like every other service, the police detectives in London have been severely depleted by the demands of the army, navy and airforce. Detective Inspector John Jago is a survivor of World War One and should be looking at retirement rather than leading an active unit. His sergeant has been promoted from the uniforms probably well ahead of his time and is not yet familiar with procedures.

This story raises a number of questions of morality and the role of policing when the country is under attack from the enemy. What is the value of tracking down a murderer locally, or corruption, when so much chaos reigns?

Has the makings of a good series. ( )

ww2, england, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation

Very dark, like everywhere in England during The Blitz. Less than twenty years since the Great War, Battle of Gallipoli, and Flu pandemic the British are again assaulted by Germans and it's not just the damages to buildings and roads that is so devastating. Now the overworked police have the murder of a prominent man discovered just before a bomb blast blows the whole crime scene to bits. The characters are well done but there's something just a tiny bit off about the story. Well, it is the beginning of what looks to be an engaging series so I plan to read the others anyway.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Allison & Busby via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )

Hollow's "Blitz Detective" provides the reader with a real sense of what it was like to live through the Blitz (particularly in West Ham where 38 bombs and 4 mines were dropped between 7th October 1940 to 6th June 1941)..

And I particularly liked the way he used aspects and scenarios from both the real and a personal history to add a touch of realism to the story-line. As Greg Buzwell wrote in his article - London During the Blitz: A Landscape of Fear and Shadows - "... novels set during the Blitz show people both at their very best .... and at their most flawed and human .."

Fans of Anthony Horowitz's "Foyle's War", Christianna Brand's "Inspector Cockerill" series and Philip Kerr's "Bernie Gunther" series will take to Hollow's DI John Jago and his new DC, Peter Craddock. I am looking forward to the next chapter in the Blitz Detective series. ( )

Mike Hollow's The Blitz Detective is an old-school police procedural set in East London during, of course, the blitz. It's people with inscrutable characters whose real selves emerge very gradually. The two police at the story's center are and interesting pair: an old-time bachelor detective with more than twenty years on the force and a young, new officer trying to please, sometimes with success, sometimes falling short. The blitz plays a key role in the story—obliterating a corpse at the start of an investigation. What I liked most about this novel was the effective way in which the author kept WWI present within the WWII setting. The England being bombed is an England still recovering from the violence and loss of live in the earlier war, and that fact shapes many characters' decisions. Reading The Blitz Detective is like watching a classic movie: deeply satisfying and engaging both intellectually and emotionally.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley. The opinions are my own. ( )

World War II, a seasoned detective, an American Journalist and murder. And another murder all victims hold a piece of evidence in their own stories. Historically interesting and a smathering of something Sherlockian means a great read in my book. Mike Hollow puts forth an interesting read and I thank both he and Library Thing for the chance to win this free copy. ( )