The Dead American by Jake Needham

Genre: Thriller

Setting: Singapore

First Sentence: Samuel Tay stood in his tiny garden and squinted at the sky.

This novel is the third in the author's Inspector Tay series which currently runs to four novels.

Due to the events in the previous book, we find Inspector Samuel Tay under suspension from his duties.  And then, out of the blue, a young American reporter arrives at his doorstep.  It seems that an American software engineer has been found dead.  The police quickly label the death a suicide.

The reporter believes that the engineer's death is  a murder.  She asks Sam for help.  Since he has a lot of time on his hands, Inspector Tay agrees to help.  Sam soon finds out that the suicide was staged.  Someone high up in the Singaporean government wanted the engineer dead.

Who? and why?

Then the reporter  is killed.  In the same manner as the engineer.

Now, Inspector Tay feels that he needs to discover the truth, and find justice for the two victims.

His questioning leads him into the dark world of covert operations,  Tay is just a policeman But over the years he has made acquaintances among some very dangerous people.

Will Sam discover the truth?
Will he find justice for the dead Americans?
Or, will he learn that justice can be a very tricky thing?

This is another great novel, from a great writer.

What I like about Needham's novels is that the characters behave like real people.
And in the end here is no neat and tidy ending.

Now I have to go to Singapore.


                                                         

Relentless Pursuit by Alexander Kent

Genre: Naval Fiction, Historical Fiction

Setting: At sea on a British Warship, and at the Bolitho's family estates in the earl 1800's.

First Sentence: Plymouth, always one of England's most important and strategically situated seaports, seemed strangely quiet, subdued.

This novel is the twenty-fifth of the author's Bolitho Navel series which currently  runs to twenty-eight books.

It is 1815,  The war with Napoleon is over.  England now uses its mighty navy to end the slave trade.

Ships are sent to patrol the Atlantic in pursuit hunt down slave ships.  And a great armada is amassed to attack and destroy the military power of an Algerian overlord.

In this novel we follow the exploits of Captain Adam Bolitho.  He is the nephew of one of England's greatest admirals - Sir Richard Bolitho.

While at sea, Adam fights against the slave runners.  Unfortunately, he gets injured  several times.  While recuperating from his wounds he meets, and falls in love with, a young woman with a mysterious past.

Since Adam has the reputation of being a daring captain, Adam has been given the dangerous position of leading the fleet into battle.

Will Adam survive the battle now that he has someone to live for?

I enjoyed this book.  The author has an easy to read style which I like.

I suggest that those interested in reading this series read the books in order.  there are several plot lines which carry through several. novels.