Politically astute with plausible warm characters despite a slightly workmanlike feel to the plotting and situations.. female operative, suspicious of colleagues in undercover world, getting close to women who've been groomed to marry middle eastern terrorists etc it's all very authentic.. their machinations weaving their way into a community planning sedition is fascinating even if the feel of things is a bit one-note. Competent and intriguing ..

The writing is extraordinary.

This book has it all; two people rescued by a trawler in the worst weather imaginable, and a couple request that Crane and Drake find their son. They’re sure that he has somehow managed to get back into the UK after joining Daesh.

That’s all I’m saying about the storyline because it’s complicated and needs to be read!

Parker Bilal is an extraordinary author. I was fascinated with the characters, especially Drake. A man with a past, now trying to put his talents into rescuing others. Crane also comes across as a very strong woman with many hidden talents and huge amounts of sympathy for those in a less fortunate position.

Rony

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.

Oh no! I now realise that this was the third of Bilal's Crane & Blake series. I wondered about any previous books as the characters seemed already set and I knew very little. I would have enjoyed it more with some character backstories.

This thriller is set in London with a standard IS terrorism story, and I quite enjoyed Dr. Ray Crane investigating, but that is all.

I will not be reading the first 2 books in the series as it was not for me. The writing is very good, though with touches of humour.

Thanks to Net Galley and Canongate for the chance to read and review.

I wasn't sure if this book was for me; the title appears to refer to a historical war scape yet the cover is clearly of our times. But very cleverly, both the title and the cover reflect the exact nature of the book. I found it enthralling. This is a story of modern day life, crime, the endless ways that humans can find a way to survive, convincing themselves along the way that they are not doing wrong, it is for the greater good - or even, that it is directed by their God. The book starts with a small scale rescue at sea and leads to undercover investigations by both the police, and Cal, an ex-police investigator. Together he and his partner Ray burrow down into a dismal, tainted world of polar opposites: from low life criminals and desperate radicals to the rather luxurious, upscale world of criminally financed political corruption. Both alive and well, living in the trenches, waging war.

In London, private investigator Dr Rayhana Crane is contacted by a woman who has received an unexpected letter from her estranged son Jason, not seen since he left to become a fighter for Islamic State. When his steps are traced back to the old stamping ground of her partner, Cal Drake, the former policeman goes undercover to infiltrate the sinister network which took Jason abroad.
Meanwhile, Crane pursues a woman whose seemingly unconnected disappearance off the English coast is soon found to reveal a deadlier connection. As the two investigators delve deeper, they find themselves mired in a violent world where terror and organised crime intersect. Characters are very well written, and I raced through this book. Gripping from the start.

This is the third of Bilal's Crane & Blake series and seems to be settling into a bit of a formula - once again we have a multi-strand and fast moving thriller set in London but the IS terrorism focus is starting to feel a little old-hat as the news has moved on. Blake remains a tough and macho ex-army, ex-police protagonist; Ray Crane is still quite enigmatic, other than having Iranian roots (and being beautiful, natch!). So this does succeed in reversing some of the racial contours of so many police procedurals and is more attentive to the actual make-up of London's population..