Mike Hollow

This series began with the beginning of the Blitz in London at the beginning of September 1940, and here we are in the last book in the series, the 8th, at Christmas nearly 4 months later.

All the cases have been murder mysteries, cases that could have been attributed to the Blitz, except, as in most of the cases, for the obvious presence of a murder weapon. We have learnt little snippets of what it was like to be in London in the Blitz, also little bits about the legacy of World War One, and what was done by the authorities to try to keep life in London "normal" for its population.

The cases have been meticulously investigated by Detective Inspector Jago, originally of the Metropolitan Police force, but recently of Scotland Yard. His offsider/bagman has been Detective Constable Peter Cradock, plucked summarily from uniform and put into plain clothes. We have met a range of regular characters, including Dorothy, an American correspondent for the Boston Globe based at the Savoy Hotel.

The characters have been well developed and the plots plausible and the scenarios intersting… (mer)

These stories are a reminder that even when there is a war as catastrophic as the Blitz of 1940, life goes on, and the deaths that occur are not necessarily the result of war: the usual crimes continue to be committed too.

In this one, Jago and Cradock are seconded to Scotland Yard to solve the murder of a young man whose body is found in an Andersen shelter. As usual they investigate a range of characters and unearth other crimes being committed.

So far these stories have actually taken place in a very short period of time: the second half of 1940 in London with Hitler's planes attacking it almost every night. The amount of research behind the stories lend a feeling of authenticity. There are a number of "personal interest" threads too which provide ongoing interest.… (mer)

Another instalment in this lovely series with John Jago and his offsider Peter Cradock hunting down the person responsible for the death of a commercial traveller.

There are a number of red herrings to be discarded before the truth is finally revealed.

What I love about these books is the feeling of authenticity that comes from solid research and details gleaned from the news of the day. (Who knew that early RAF bombers were sent out with homing pigeons to deliver their location in the case of being shot down; or that Great Britain paid Jamaica NOT to export their banana crop?)

In some ways police procedures have not change in 80 years - fingerprinting, dental records etc - but these crimes are set against the setting and stress of London in 1940, and the characterisation is superb. There are glimpses of what is happening in the rest of the world and how England is surviving as Hitler attempts to cut it off.… (mer)