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ONE MAN AND HIS BOMB
by H. R. F. Keating
Allison & Busby, March 2006
288 pages
18.99 GBP
ISBN: 0749082887


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Ever since the tragic events of September 11, 2001, the world has been under an extremely high alert when it comes to dealing with terrorism. Extremists from all sides are going through extraordinary means to bring in a high casualty rate just to bring their message across; their own version of what they consider to be the unvarnished truth. In ONE MAN AND HIS BOMB, Agatha Award-winning author HRF Keating brings the war against terror to his series featuring Detective Superintendent Harriet Martens, “the hard detective.”

At the start of the novel Harriet gets a phone call letting her know that her sons (both police officers) were victims of a roadside bomb. She is deep in grief for what happened to her kids and she is trying to make sense of what essentially is the senseless. She tries to deal with the aftermath, but it is not something that she can do easily.

When she is given the opportunity to work on a sensitive case, she decides to take it and in doing so, she gets to see terrorism from the inside instead of what she sees in the British media. A group of thieves have stolen a top-secret and dangerous experimental herbicide from a lab that could create irreparable damage to the world’s food supply.

Throughout the course of the investigation Harriet deals with several groups of fanatics who in one way or another, have strong opinions on the work that was being done in Heronsgate House, where the herbicide was stolen. There are several characters from the serious to the kooks who become suspects. However Harriet manages to remain open-minded to what motivates these zealots (foreign and domestic) and has to make tough decisions. But in the end she learns what she needs to come to terms with her own personal tragedy and earn some form of closure.

Granted, Keating’s work is dark and gloomy, but it also serves a reminder as to how the world has changed during the last five years. He manages to keep it as real as he can but unfortunately the ending turns out to be weak considering its strong start.

Reviewed by Angel L. Soto, December 2006

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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