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Tom Bradby's been working on endings. No doubt about that. His last
book, The God of Chaos, hugely disappointed fans with its weak
denouement. So Tom must have noticed ... it's taken five years to get
another title on the shelves.
Set in 1929 New York, Detective Joe Quinn is tasked with solving the
murder of a Wall Street banker, originally thought to have topped
himself, before a group of his pals suffer the same gruesome fate.
Recession and depression. Nice timing, Tom. Just wait, 80 years from
now, fictional historical detectives will be hunting killers of 2009 RBS
executives. Anyway, where were we? Ah, that's right. Quinn, New York,
1929, dead bankers. Bradby spins a web of intrigue that Quinn must
entangle himself in to find answers.
Connections to organised crime denizen Lucky Luciano develop and, of
course, there's the woman. Quinn's sweetheart, adopted by his mother, is
about to marry his brother. Follow that, did you, at the back? As the
case develops, the path seems to lead Quinn towards his own father, once
New York's best-known cop.
It's a clever murder mystery, inspired by tradition, but hardboiled at
the same time. Noir, maybe it's not. Thriller? Nah, not going there
either, but it's a quietly satisfying piece of crime fiction, with a
conclusion that will earn the author forgiveness from his previously-let
down backers.
Not top of your wish list, but Blood Money's a decent showing and
a worthy addition to any collection. |
