Another good entry in this interesting series. Ash Carter continues to pinball around Malaysia solving crimes and creating problems for the establishment. Transitioning from their colonial history does make "The Raj" quite twitchy during this dismemberment of the British Empire. ( )

Interesting fast paced crime story set in Singapore in the 50s. To tell the truth I haven’t really understood why I didn’t really like the book, probably because I didn’t interested in the military background of the story at all. ( )

I didn't realise in advance that this is part of an ongoing series - and it didn't matter one bit. The story was tense, involved, full of action and had more than one puzzle to solve. So, ideal for anyone who enjoys thrillers and crime novels.

It's also a great story for anyone interested in a far eastern historical context as it's set in a very atmospheric post-war Singapore-Malaya border region, which accounts for the militaristic casualness of the violent elements of the story, the rather misogynist attitudes and the fascinating details of aeroplanes. If I hadn't been travelling around Europe whilst reading it I'd have treated myself to following Ash Carter's journeys on maps. ( )

Based in Singapore, Ash Carter is an ex-military policeman who is now working for the government secretary responsible for internal security When a headless and handless body is discovered on a causeway between Singapore and Malaya, he is assigned to investigate the death: does it represent another drug-war punishment or something more? His investigations, which take him through Malaya, as far as Penang, soon reveal that there is going to be nothing straightforward about this case. He discovers that children are going missing, that not only are there links with organised crime and the military, but that powerful people in the establishment are intent on shutting down the investigation. However, as well as having a highly-developed sense of moral duty and a need to pursue justice, Ash is too much of a maverick to allow such matters to stop him continuing with his investigations, whatever the threats to his own safety – or his job security!
This fast-moving story is set in 1952, in British colonial times during the Malayan emergency. It was obvious that the period had been well-researched and I thought that the author’s descriptions of this turbulent period of history created a vivid, highly atmospheric picture of the struggles which were being faced by the many factions involved. The conflicting interests of the wealthy and powerful, the colonial forces, the military, as well as those intent on pursuing a range of criminal activities, were well portrayed and captured an evocative sense of the period. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the various locations – there were times when I could almost feel the steamy heat of the tropical season in Singapore and the Malay jungle!
The story abounds with constant twists and turns, is full of multiple red-herrings and the short chapters made it easy to get carried along with the almost incessant action. However, there were times when I found that the high-octane activity of the main character, who seemed to be able to manipulate military and civilian resources at will in order to pursue his investigations, not only felt rather exhausting but also required rather too much suspension of disbelief! The biggest disappointment for me was that I felt unable to feel any real investment in any of the characters because all felt rather too stereotypical and one-dimensional. As this is the second book featuring Ash Carter, and although it was easy to read as a stand-alone story, I frequently found myself wondering whether I was missing something vital about him, something which, had I read the first book, would have made him appeal as a more psychologically convincing character. Nevertheless, this was an easy and relatively enjoyable “escapist” read, although its appeal for reading groups would probably be rather limited. ( )

This book tells the story of an ex military policeman who is employed in a somewhat nebulous role in the Singapore administration while the Malayan emergency is going on.

He travels between civilian and military life, seeming able to commandeer vehicles,planes and people from whatever organisation he is closest to.

There is derring-do. There is love interest. There is all the component parts of a competent thriller. Unfortunately there is nothing beyond that.

It was an enjoyable enough, completely unchallenging and relaxing book to read. Maybe I'm too demanding ( )