BORROWED LIGHT

This book, the latest in the Faraday and Winter series, begins in the Middle East.   Joe Faraday and his French partner, Gabrielle, are involved in a car crash.  Whilst in hospital Gabrielle befriends an orphan. Leila, who is being treated for horrific burns in Gaza and resolves to bring her to the UK for specialist treatment. A decision that will have devastating and far reaching consequences.

Meanwhile Paul Winter, returning from Dubai to Portsmouth or Pompey as it’s know to locals, quickly becomes embroiled in his boss, Bazza Mackenzie,’s murky drug world.  The property portfolio Bazza thought was impressive has now been revealed to be non-existent and his only remaining collateral, a secret and substantial cocaine haul, has also gone walkabout….

On his return to UK, Faraday has a farmhouse fire in which four people died to investigate.  Who were the victims and why is the head of the house missing?

Slowly these elements interweave as they race towards an unexpected and poignant ending.

I was new to the world of Faraday and Winter but soon became involved in the plot and the differing relationships between a large cast of characters. The realistic and gritty depiction of the hidden and acknowledged underworld of English coastal towns is excellent and believable.  However I found it difficult to engage with the characters who largely seemed to be unsympathetic and not very involving. The women seemed to be stereotypes and some characters seemed to drift in and out without purpose.  Violence, when it appears, isn’t dwelt on or gratuitous which is always a good thing in my opinion.   

Borrowed Light  is a fast paced, no-nonsense thriller which will keep Faraday and Winter fans, new and old, entertained.