The Book Plank

The Rain-Soaked Bride by Guy Adams, The Clown Service #2 A number of influential South Korean nationals are committing suicide on UK soil. In all cases they seem to simply drop whatever they're doing and swiftly -- almost vacantly -- end their own lives. An electronics importer falls from the top floor of his high-rise office, the ambassador to the UK shoots his chauffeur and drives his own car off London Bridge, an actor sets fire to himself during a movie premiere... August and Toby investigate and slowly uncover the ancient force of the Rain-Soaked Bride, a ghostly spirit of vengeance that drags her enemies to their deaths. Once summoned the spirit cannot be dismissed until it takes the life it is charged with, it will be unstoppable in its pursuit of the mortal it has in its sights. Unfortunately, after getting too close to the source of the spirit, that mortal is now Toby Greene.     About two years ago I was first introduced to Guy Adams' writing in the f...

Kill with a Borrowed Knife or Agent Ai by Michael Wreford  China, the eve of the September 11 attacks. A powerful cyber weapon is about to be released. Only one man can stop it … Journalist and SIS (MI6) contract agent George Quant arrives on the run in Beijing. Estranged from Karen, his Moscow-based handler, George is thrust into Asia’s clandestine underworld of gentleman spies, nefarious business people, and murderous Party members. With his past catching up with him, George discovers that not everyone in China can be trusted. At the centre of George Quant’s dilemma lie two men: investor-adventurer Pierce de Havilland, and Karen’s trusted contact known only as “Ho”. Both successful in their own right, the rivals offer diverging perspectives on China’s future. As their intentions grow clearer, George recognises that an important choice looms—adopting the life of a millionaire fugitive, or accepting the call of a higher moral imperative. From his initial assignment in...

The Eidolon by Libby McGugan The divide between science and the human spirit is the setting for a battle for the future.When physicist Robert Strong loses his job at the Dark Matter research lab and his relationship falls apart, he returns home to Scotland.  Then the dead start appearing to him, and Robert begins to question his own sanity. Victor Amos, an enigmatic businessman, arrives and recruits Robert to sabotage CERN’S Large Hadron Collider, convincing him the next step in the collider’s research will bring about disaster. Everything Robert once understood about reality, and the boundaries between life and death, is about to change forever. And the biggest change will be to Robert himself...  I have had my eye on this book for quite some time already, working in the science field myself the blurb really got me excited for The Eidolon, blending the science and human spirit. Well this can turn the story around in a lot of different directions. And w...

The Clown Service by Guy Adams Tom Greene has been reassigned The Department: Section 37 Station office, Wood Green The Boss: August Shining, an ex-Cambridge, cold war-era spy The Mission: Charged with protecting Great Britain and its interests from paranormal terrorism The Threat: An old enemy has returned, and with him operation Black Earth, a soviet plan to create the ultimate insurgents by re-animating the dead. A while back I read The Good, the Bad and the Infernal from Guy Adams, and with that books he had won me over and since then I have been keeping a keen eye on his books. When I saw that Del Rey was publishing his new book, The Clown Service, I was quite happy! What I have come to learn from Guy Adams' books is that they are creative, quick, clever and are a pleasure to read. With the Clown Service, Guy Adams ventures into the field of espionage. What really made the promise of this book for me was the "less is more" kinda blurb, those br...