Adam Colclough lives and works in the West Midlands, he writes regularly for a number of websites, one day he will get round to writing a book for someone else to review.
Mills’ exciting narrative is set in 1912, with an abandoned baby left on the doorstep of a convent. Twenty-five years later that child is now a man named Luke Hamilton and is working as an RAF attaché in Paris.
It appears that someone wants Hamilton dead. Our RAF attaché must traverse a Europe trembling on the brink of war in search of his true identity, and to protect his own life.
There is more than a touch of Hitchcock to Mark Mills’ excellent period thriller. He orchestrates a hugely suspenseful chase across several countries with masterful skill. His characters have a pleasing ambiguity, for nobody is who they seem to be, and their every action has hidden subtext.
At the heart of the story are issues of guilt, identity and the price of loyalty – all handled with sensitivity as well as intrigue. The setting and period detail are evocatively realized, with Europe about to tear itself apart as the drums of war can be heard in the distance. Most importantly of all, Mills keeps the action cracking along at a blistering pace with hair’s breadth escapes from death on practically every other page.
By the author’s own assessment, this is a more determinedly ‘genre’ novel than his previous historical work. In making the transition, Mills has in no way impacted on the quality of his work, in fact he has enhanced his reputation as a literary thriller writer.
Taking this new direction will not disappoint his existing fans, and may well help to recruit a legion of new ones.
Highly recommended.
