A fascinating and captivating trip into the bomb damaged (and occasionally crime-ridden) streets of London during the Second World War. ‘Fifth Column’ is the second in ‘The Blitz Detective’ series and while you can jump straight in here, I suggest you start with the first, ‘Direct Hit’. DI Jago and DC Craddock are investigating a murder, several Nazi sympathisers attempt to keep a low profile, could there be more to this crime than meets the eye? The realistic and honest tones, ensure that this isn't a romanticised foray into the past, yet the story is completely engaging. Mike Hollow describes the ravaged streets so vividly it feels as though you're standing next to a blasted pile of debris, covered in white plaster dust. I found myself completely immersed in this tale, the folk and surroundings of West Ham and Canning Town come to life. This series promises to keep delivering and I can't wait for the next instalment. ~ Liz Robinson
An attractive young woman is found dead on a bomb site in the early hours of the morning. At first glance, she is just another casualty of the previous night's air raid, but when the post-mortem shows signs of strangling, DI Jago is called on to investigate. The dead woman is smartly dressed but carries no identity card. However, a local engineering company reports a member of staff has failed to appear at work that morning and the body is quickly identified as that of Miss Mary Watkins. DI Jago's initial interviews yield little fruit, no one can think of a reason why Mary would be murdered, but as the investigation continues DI Jago starts to uncover a trail of deception and betrayal.
An atmosphere of intrigue and deception permeates this story. With great skill Mike Hollow digs into the rubble of wartime London and shows us a world of danger and conspiracy. -- Gethin Russel-Jones, author of My Secret Life in Hut Six
Author
About Mike Hollow
Mike Hollow was born in 1953 in the Essex County Borough of West Ham and spent his early years in Romford. After studying Russian and French at Cambridge University he worked for the BBC for sixteen years and then the international development agency Tearfund for eleven before going freelance as a writer and editor in 2002. He lives in Hampshire with his wife Margaret and has two grown-up children who live in London. Nowadays he earns his living translating Russian in his cellar and spends the rest of his time writing stories about Detective Inspector John Jago, the Blitz Detective. The first novel, Direct Hit, was published in 2015, and Fifth Column is the second in the series.
