Synopsis/blurb ...
Revenge is best served cold, but the road to retribution starts within…
In his quest to find those who double-crossed him, Ned Flynn seeks the help of retired small-time fence, Eddie Roscoe.
But Eddie’s services come with a price. If Flynn wants the information he needs, then he must help Eddie find his missing son. As Flynn and Eddie retrace the lad’s steps, they discover his disappearance is more sinister than they hoped and become embroiled in a world beyond their worst nightmares.
Can Flynn and Eddie survive, or are the hunters destined to remain the prey.
A cracking start to my 2022 reading year with the second Math Bird - Ned Flynn book consumed on the second day of the new year. I do like short, gripping books (< 200 pages) that can be blitz-read in a few hours.
We open with Flynn still licking his wounds from getting stiffed at the climax of The Whistling Sands. Payback is in the offing. However accommodations need to be made, before he can pursue his goals. Quid pro quo. Help Eddie Roscoe track down his simple-minded son first, after the lad has gone AWOL and he'll get pointed in the direction of his quarry.
Eddie and Ned go on a road trip. Friction and mistrust in time turns to some male bonding and friendship as the pair cross paths with some 21st C. slavers. Plenty of bumps lie in the road ahead and while we get an outcome, things do not end well for all.
Fast-moving, unsettling, violent, full of conflict and eye-opening. It's not too fanciful to believe that the situation which befalls Eddie's son is not a reality for many lost souls in the harsh, unforgiving landscape that is Britain today. (5th largest world economy, more food banks than McDonalds and over 280,000 homeless according to Shelter in 2019.)
Math Bird shows that despite his checkered past and rough edges, Flynn has a good heart.
Really enjoyable, roll on book three! Histories of the Dead and Other Stories and The Whistling Sands have been enjoyed from Bird previously.
4.5 from 5
Read - January, 2022
Published - 2022
Page count - 168
Source - review copy from author
Format - Kindle
This does look compelling, Col. And, sadly, it's all too real for too many people, and not just in the UK. The characters sound nicely rounded out, too, which I always appreciate. Glad you enjoyed this.
ReplyDeleteThanks Margot. I like fiction that gives me a jolt and a bit of a reality check, even when its about subjects we would prefer not to think about.
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