Singapore 52 by Murray Bailey

July 10, 2022

Singapore 52
Ash Carter Thriller Book 1
Murray Bailey
5 Stars

Pages: 412
Genre: Crime, Thriller, Mystery
Published: 1 Sept 2017
Publisher: Heritage Books

Publisher's Blurb

"Think Jack Reacher with a dash of James Bond, set in Singapore. Thrilling!" - Maggie Pagano, journalist, The Times
"Simply gripping! Perfect for an on-screen thriller" Alex Morgan, journalist, Sky News
"Intelligent and atmospheric" - Writers Workshop
"Intriguing characters and a suspenseful storyline" - CCRMagazine

Chinese New Year 1952
Ash Carter had to leave the Middle East in a hurry. But when he arrives in Singapore he finds himself in the middle of a much bigger problem.
No one knows where, or when, or who but someone is planning an attack. Carter is told to make sure it doesn’t happen. With pressure from politicians and the army and with Chinese Secret Societies watching his every move, he has other plans. He is more interested in finding out who killed his friend.

Review

Arriving in Singapore after fleeing a difficult situation in Palestine, former military policeman Ash Carter sets out to find his friend who recently sent him a cryptic telegram asking for his help.

Within hours of his arrival he finds himself arrested whilst trying to prevent a possible racist attack on a Japanese stall holder by a group of rowdy squaddies.

It seems that Ash’s reputation as an ace investigator has preceded him and he finds himself roped into a search for missing guns, a potential terrorist attack and more importantly for him the identity of his friend’s murderer.

The first book in the Ash Carter Thriller series delivers a wonderful plot, a group of memorable characters and a feast of twists and red herrings to keep the reader on their toes throughout.

Ash’s designated driver Sergeant Hegarty and his fondness for the origin of words and phrases is a delightful distraction from the more serious matters of murder, violence and theft.

Carter is not exactly your clean cut hero. He lets his feelings sometimes cloud his judgement and this brings a certain unpredictability to the outcome of some of the situations he finds himself in. This only adds to his charm as a lead character and keeps you on the edge of your seat as those situations develop.

My Book of the Year for 2022 so far, but I’ve got Book 2: Singapore Girl to read, so it may not be a title it holds for long.

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The Author

I have always enjoyed writing and, as a child, I even managed to be published in both the Times Educational Supplement as well as my local paper the Lichfield Mercury. Unfortunately, this didn’t lead to publishers knocking on my door. After studying Physics at the University of Southampton followed by Applied Mathematics at Cambridge, I entered the very different world of Consumer Credit.

Although I edited Credit Risk International for a year, contributed and edited 3 textbooks and wrote two more, my passion has always been with fiction – in particular, thriller and crime writing. Surprisingly, I discovered there is quite a large overlap between credit risk and crime writing – not least, the amount of logic, problem solving and analysis that each requires.

I have been writing as a hobby for more than 10 years and, after a lot of encouragement from my wife, finally focused on getting something published. My first book, I Dare You, is available as a paperback or Kindle version through Amazon and was followed up in 2017 by the sequel, Dare You Twice. My second work, Map of the Dead, allowed me to indulge my passion for Egyptology and will be followed up by Secrets of the Dead in 2018. Black Creek White Lies, based in Cornwall, is a stand alone written for my mother. The Ash Carter series was influenced by my father’s experiences in the Royal Military Police in 1950s Singapore. Singapore Girl is the second in the series and Singapore Boxer the third. Hopefully 2019 will see episode four.

Born in Greater Manchester, England, I have gradually moved south until I reached the beautiful Dorset coast where I now live with my wife and family. Having young children and an all-consuming passion such as writing doesn’t leave much free time, but when I do take a break I enjoy running and cycling, kayaking along the gorgeous River Stour and building sandcastles with my children.

https://www.murraybaileybooks.com/

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