Israel 1950. SIB Captain Ash Carter is called into the British ’embassy’ to report on the death-in-service of a consular officer. Despite assurances that there is nothing suspicious, Carter begins a challenging investigation – one that the authorities disprove of. And the deeper he digs, the more complex it appears.
Meeting an Israeli private detective, investigating a linked crime, Carter forms an uneasy alliance. Together, they uncover something too shocking to be believed without hard proof. With the highest of political stakes, distrust at every turn, deceit, kidnapping and murder, Carter must find a balance between the law, justice and revenge.
Dead Man’s Run is book 5 in the Ash Carter Near East series but can be read as a stand-alone.
It's such a pleasure to be sharing my delayed review of Dead Man's Run by Murray Bailey today. Many thanks to Murray for my advance copy of the novel and for being so understanding when I was unable to post on my blog tour date.
The past hangs heavily over Dead Man's Run, the latest book in Murray Bailey's excellent Near East series, featuring his perennial protagonist, Ash Carter. First introduced in the Singapore series, Carter is a younger man in the Near East books and new readers can start anywhere.
It's 1950 and Britain is on the verge of formally recognising the state of Israel. The violence of the last days of Mandatory Palestine has abated somewhat but life doesn't become any simpler for Ash Carter when he is summoned to what is referred to as the British 'Embassy' despite officially being classed as a mission. Carter is assigned to the embassy but prefers to spend his time at the old SIB office in Tel Aviv. However, a sudden death means his presence is urgently required. He is assured that there is nothing suspicious about Consular Officer James Morton's unexpected demise but Sir Gregory, Head of the Mission has asked for him as a formality. The doctor called to the scene is a general practitioner who suspects heart failure and Sir Gregory is at pains to convey to Carter that he wishes the incident be handled as a sensitive embassy matter, without involving the police or press. Unfortunately for Sir Gregory, Ash Carter doesn't cut corners and his concerns are aroused when he learns Sir Gregory removed a piece of paper from the body. More evidence quickly comes to light which reveals the case isn't quite so straightforward and that Morton died either by his own hand or because he was murdered.
As his investigation proceeds, Carter is disturbed to uncover links to events at the end of the Second World War which meant some Nazis were able to escape justice – something which is particularly pertinent at a time when so many Jewish people had relocated to Israel to rebuild their lives after the horror of the Holocaust. After a woman goes missing, Ash realises there are powerful people who will stop at nothing to keep their secrets safe but another shocking death means he is left wondering who he can trust. With the complex post-war politics allowing shady individuals to exploit the situation to their advantage, Dead Man's Run proves to be a fascinating, albeit sobering exploration of this watershed moment in history.
It is also a compulsive thriller which becomes progressively more nail-biting as Carter begins to unearth the grim truth about the dark circumstances leading to Morton's death The introduction of the ruthlessly determined private investigator, Adom Szabo adds a further layer of intrigue to proceedings and I enjoyed their volatile alliance. Meanwhile, Carter's entanglements with women bring more complications which leads to the most high octane sequence of the book and allows for the appearance of one of my favourite recurring characters.
With its intelligent plot and nuanced characterisation, Murray Bailey doesn't offer any easy solutions to complex issues and he recognises that while revenge and justice are inherently intertwined, neither is simple to achieve. Tense, exciting and insightful, Dead Man's Run is another terrific instalment in the ongoing adventures of Ash Carter. I highly recommend it.
Dead Man's Run is out now and can be purchased from Amazon, where it is also available on Kindle Unlimited.
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About the Author
Murray is well traveled, having worked in the US, South America and a number of European countries throughout his career as a management consultant. However he also managed to find the time to edit books, contribute to articles and act as a part-time magazine editor.
Murray was born in Manchester and now lives on the south coast of England with his family and two dogs, Teddy and Muffin.
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