Dead Man Walking
London 1944 and the Normandy landings have not long taken place. False information is being fed to the Germans by double agents. A cabinet minister is found murdered and amongst his effects is an intended meeting with an unknown but suspected double agent working for Soviet Russia. Shortly afterwards a journalist and another MP are murdered and attempt made on the life of the MPs secretary. Police Superintendent Luke Garvan, on secondment to MI5, is assigned to the case along with his boss, Major Spencer Hall and they attempt to uncover the identity of the spy.
In a world of a coalition government where MPs from opposite sides have to work together and where nobody can be trusted, we follow the pair as they untangle the webs of political espionage, old boys clubs and double agents.
In Dead Man Walking, Toby Oliver had created a believable tale which should satisfy most lovers of the genre. However, a thorough copy edit is necessary as there are numerous examples of misplaced (or missing) commas, apostrophes – even a question mark – as well as a couple of instances of mixed metaphors. Which is a shame as I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the easy style of writing. The cover is quite dark – showing Westminster Bridge and Big Ben at night – but is in keeping with the story. Perhaps, though, a shade lighter might make it stand out a little better.
A redesign and re-edit would make this an excellent read.
