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BlackJack #3
A Third Is Darkness
Judge not the man
Charles Balcombe cannot control his alter ego.
BlackJack is killing for fun and DI Munro knows his partnership with Balcombe can’t continue.
While Balcombe seeks help, Munro is asked to work for the Hong Kong governor’s aide-de-camp. He seems to be sidelined as Garrett resumes his hunt for the Squeezed-heart murderer.
But people have secrets and the more Munro investigates, the murkier they seem. When people start dying and with Balcombe’s help, Munro tries to get to the bottom of a conspiracy of silence.
Will he find the truth?
Will Garrett catch his killer?
Will Balcombe learn the truth about himself?
As the psychoanalyst told a third of the mind is darkness. If you dig too deep, be prepared. You won’t like what you find there.
This is book three of the series which should be read in order.
Charles Balcombe cannot control his alter ego.
BlackJack is killing for fun and DI Munro knows his partnership with Balcombe can’t continue.
While Balcombe seeks help, Munro is asked to work for the Hong Kong governor’s aide-de-camp. He seems to be sidelined as Garrett resumes his hunt for the Squeezed-heart murderer.
But people have secrets and the more Munro investigates, the murkier they seem. When people start dying and with Balcombe’s help, Munro tries to get to the bottom of a conspiracy of silence.
Will he find the truth?
Will Garrett catch his killer?
Will Balcombe learn the truth about himself?
As the psychoanalyst told a third of the mind is darkness. If you dig too deep, be prepared. You won’t like what you find there.
This is book three of the series which should be read in order.
307 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 3, 2023
3 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
About the author
Murray Bailey
26 books288 followersMurray Bailey was always interested in writing and, at an early age, had articles published in newspapers, including the Times. Despite studying Physics and Mathematics and pursuing a very different career, he also edited a magazine for a year as well as a batch of technical books.
After 10 years of scribbling, in 2016 his first published novel was I Dare You. He went on to demonstrate his passion for ancient Egypt and puzzles in his novel Map of the Dead. However the Singapore series featuring the ex-military policeman Ash Carter was a labour of love and based on his first unpublished story that eventually became Singapore 52.
Born in Greater Manchester, England, he gradually moved south to reach the beautiful Dorset coast where he lives with his wife and family. Having young children and an all-consuming passion such as writing doesn’t leave much free time, but when he does take a break, he enjoys running, cycling, kayaking and building sandcastles with his children.
After 10 years of scribbling, in 2016 his first published novel was I Dare You. He went on to demonstrate his passion for ancient Egypt and puzzles in his novel Map of the Dead. However the Singapore series featuring the ex-military policeman Ash Carter was a labour of love and based on his first unpublished story that eventually became Singapore 52.
Born in Greater Manchester, England, he gradually moved south to reach the beautiful Dorset coast where he lives with his wife and family. Having young children and an all-consuming passion such as writing doesn’t leave much free time, but when he does take a break, he enjoys running, cycling, kayaking and building sandcastles with his children.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
October 22, 2023
I don’t know how Murray does it, but I only had to pick up this book to be immediately immersed back in the world of Charles Balcombe aka BlackJack.
The descriptions of Hong Kong. The characters. The plot. Everything fits together perfectly.
In this third instalment of the series, and I highly recommend reading the first two before this one, we find BlackJack, the alter ego of Charles Balcombe, getting more out of control in his hunger for killing. He has no memory of his actions as BlackJack. He is having nightmares - and I’ll not forgive Murray for putting the spider one in my head! - and begins visiting a psychoanalyst to try to control BlackJack and his nightmares.
His ‘good’ persona, Balcombe, is helping DI Munro with a private investigation into a missing girl. As an experienced investigator he is an asset, but Munro is getting increasingly wary of BlackJack. In addition, one of Munro’s colleagues is convinced Balcombe is BlackJack, he just needs to catch him. Can Balcombe continue to evade capture?
Balcombe’s rickshaw driver Albert is still providing his transport. She is a great character.
Love love love this series. Murray is such a talented writer.
The descriptions of Hong Kong. The characters. The plot. Everything fits together perfectly.
In this third instalment of the series, and I highly recommend reading the first two before this one, we find BlackJack, the alter ego of Charles Balcombe, getting more out of control in his hunger for killing. He has no memory of his actions as BlackJack. He is having nightmares - and I’ll not forgive Murray for putting the spider one in my head! - and begins visiting a psychoanalyst to try to control BlackJack and his nightmares.
His ‘good’ persona, Balcombe, is helping DI Munro with a private investigation into a missing girl. As an experienced investigator he is an asset, but Munro is getting increasingly wary of BlackJack. In addition, one of Munro’s colleagues is convinced Balcombe is BlackJack, he just needs to catch him. Can Balcombe continue to evade capture?
Balcombe’s rickshaw driver Albert is still providing his transport. She is a great character.
Love love love this series. Murray is such a talented writer.
October 26, 2023
This is the third book in the BlackJack thriller series, and a series you do have to start from book 1. The heart of the storyline runs throughout, so to get the complete BlackJack 'experience' start at the beginning. When I found out this book was coming, I was so excited to jump back into Charles Balcombe's world.
Set in Hong Kong in the 1950s, BlackJack, who is Charles Balcombe's alter ego, is now becoming out of control with his need for killing. Balcombe decides to go to a psychoanalyst to find a way to control the nightmares and BlackJack, too. This alone makes this instalment deeper, more complex than the previous books. I found it so intriguing as their sessions take us through his life and how he has been made into what he is.
Balcombe is also helping DI Munro with a case of a missing girl, but Munro is becoming more worried about BlackJack. To add to the mix, there may be someone who thinks that BlackJack is actually Balcombe. Can they prove it, though? The heat is definitely on!
Murray Bailey certainly knows how to write a thriller that is superbly plotted. This is a darker and deeper story than the others. In a way, it's more complex as we are learning of the how's and why's of Balcombe's past. Every character is excellently portrayed with their own unique part to play. In Balcombe's case, two parts!
As a reader, this series ticks every box for me, it always has. The third book just keeps giving, and I love returning to this world of BlackJack and Charles Balcombe, time and time again! Thanks to Murray Bailey for the gifted book in exchange for my honest review.
Set in Hong Kong in the 1950s, BlackJack, who is Charles Balcombe's alter ego, is now becoming out of control with his need for killing. Balcombe decides to go to a psychoanalyst to find a way to control the nightmares and BlackJack, too. This alone makes this instalment deeper, more complex than the previous books. I found it so intriguing as their sessions take us through his life and how he has been made into what he is.
Balcombe is also helping DI Munro with a case of a missing girl, but Munro is becoming more worried about BlackJack. To add to the mix, there may be someone who thinks that BlackJack is actually Balcombe. Can they prove it, though? The heat is definitely on!
Murray Bailey certainly knows how to write a thriller that is superbly plotted. This is a darker and deeper story than the others. In a way, it's more complex as we are learning of the how's and why's of Balcombe's past. Every character is excellently portrayed with their own unique part to play. In Balcombe's case, two parts!
As a reader, this series ticks every box for me, it always has. The third book just keeps giving, and I love returning to this world of BlackJack and Charles Balcombe, time and time again! Thanks to Murray Bailey for the gifted book in exchange for my honest review.
October 27, 2023
The third in the Blackjack thriller series & these books just get better & better. Again, it can be read as a standalone but I would really recommend reading the first two in order to try & understand the charismatic lead character.
Suave, debonair man about town, Charles Balcombe is still living in Hong Kong. He continues to assist DI Munro with his investigations.
However, all is not well. Munro has become concerned that Charles is losing control of his alter ego, Blackjack, & engineers a referral to psychoanalyst, Dr Georgina Swift.
Munro has a missing girl to investigate, but due to circumstances he must keep it low key. He asks Charles for assistance as he feels he may get more cooperation as Balcombe is not police. But Balcombe is also dealing with the possibility that the identity of Blackjack may soon be revealed.
Another great thriller from Murray featuring ‘I shouldn’t love him but I do’ Blackjack. A fantastic & enthralling read. Ready for book four!
Suave, debonair man about town, Charles Balcombe is still living in Hong Kong. He continues to assist DI Munro with his investigations.
However, all is not well. Munro has become concerned that Charles is losing control of his alter ego, Blackjack, & engineers a referral to psychoanalyst, Dr Georgina Swift.
Munro has a missing girl to investigate, but due to circumstances he must keep it low key. He asks Charles for assistance as he feels he may get more cooperation as Balcombe is not police. But Balcombe is also dealing with the possibility that the identity of Blackjack may soon be revealed.
Another great thriller from Murray featuring ‘I shouldn’t love him but I do’ Blackjack. A fantastic & enthralling read. Ready for book four!
October 24, 2023
I've loved everything written by this author - but this one took things to a different level!
Charles Balcombe is quite the gentleman, but he cannot control his alter ego who continues to kill. Balcombe is seeking help and, in the meantime, continues to work with DI Munro who is asked to work for the government's aide-de-camp, while Garrett continues to look for the squeezed-heart murderer. There's a lot of killing going on, but will those investigating get it right?
Returning to any series usually takes me a couple of chapters or so to settle in and recall all that happened before but I was straight into this one with a bang! What a first chapter; straight into the action and my heart was pumping for all it was worth! I was gripped from then, until the very end - and what an ending it is! I'm not into revealing spoilers but I gasped audibly all the way through this one and read long into the night, unable to set my kindle aside. An absolutely awesome read and one I cannot recommend highly enough but, please, read the whole series - it's too good to miss! A full five stars and easily deserving each and every one!
Charles Balcombe is quite the gentleman, but he cannot control his alter ego who continues to kill. Balcombe is seeking help and, in the meantime, continues to work with DI Munro who is asked to work for the government's aide-de-camp, while Garrett continues to look for the squeezed-heart murderer. There's a lot of killing going on, but will those investigating get it right?
Returning to any series usually takes me a couple of chapters or so to settle in and recall all that happened before but I was straight into this one with a bang! What a first chapter; straight into the action and my heart was pumping for all it was worth! I was gripped from then, until the very end - and what an ending it is! I'm not into revealing spoilers but I gasped audibly all the way through this one and read long into the night, unable to set my kindle aside. An absolutely awesome read and one I cannot recommend highly enough but, please, read the whole series - it's too good to miss! A full five stars and easily deserving each and every one!
September 26, 2023
WOW!!! They say good things come in 3's and this is definitely true where the Charles Balcombe series is concerned!
Murray Bailey (who must be one of the best thriller writers of our time) does not disappoint with the twists, turns and shocks in A Third is Darkness as we follow Charles and his alias Blackjack as he unofficially helps his friend DI Munro.
I am not going to give anything away on this latest installment except to say if you haven't yet read books 1 & 2 of this series then what are you waiting for?
Murray Bailey (who must be one of the best thriller writers of our time) does not disappoint with the twists, turns and shocks in A Third is Darkness as we follow Charles and his alias Blackjack as he unofficially helps his friend DI Munro.
I am not going to give anything away on this latest installment except to say if you haven't yet read books 1 & 2 of this series then what are you waiting for?
November 14, 2023
The third of three great BlackJack thrillers, this book really packs a punch. I normally read contemporary thrillers and was surprised when I enjoyed crimes and killings in 1950s Hong-Kong so much. Murray Bailey sets the scene wonderfully well, and the atmospheric descriptions made vivid pictures in my mind as I read.
This book, like the first two, kept me up half the night as I read 'just one more chapter' to follow the drama.
BlackJack is a great character...What will you make of him ? Read this series and find out !
This book, like the first two, kept me up half the night as I read 'just one more chapter' to follow the drama.
BlackJack is a great character...What will you make of him ? Read this series and find out !
October 30, 2023
Charles Balcombe is in trouble. His alter ego, BlackJack, is out of control. BlackJack's increasingly reckless killing sprees in the criminal underbelly of Hong Kong are threatening to destroy the fragile arrangement that Balcombe has established with DI Munro. Persuaded to seek help, Balcombe begins visiting psychotherapist Georgina Swift, and Munro hopes it will be enough to keep BlackJack contained, for Garrett is once again on the track of the Squeezed-Heart murderer, and Balcombe is still his number one suspect.
With his fingers firmly crossed, Munro calls on Balcombe's considerable investigative talents to assist with a hush-hush case searching for the missing daughter of the Hong Kong governor's aide-de-camp. Under no illusions that progress will be hampered by a desire to maintain appearances, even Munro and Balcombe are shocked at the scale of the conspiracy of silence they uncover.
In this excellent third instalment of the BlackJack series, Murray Bailey builds nicely on the groundwork of the previous books to plunge into the melting pot of 1950s colonial Hong Kong like never before... and to delve intriguingly into the mind of a killer. Note: You do need to have the previous books, Once a Killer and Second to Sin, before this one.
This is a story all about the need to contain dark secrets, and Bailey slickly weaves this theme throughout a tricky investigation that has Balcombe and Munro working together once more in their unconventional partnership, and in Balcombe's attempts to stop himself being overwhelmed by the monster within. Both Balcombe and Munro hit crisis points in this book, and must choose their paths with care. Munro's career continues to be on the line, as the pesky Garrett breathes down his neck in his desire to bring the Squeezed-Heart murderer to justice, and he is given the impossible task of getting to the truth of disturbing goings on at the very top of Hong Kong society - all while dealing with his own heartbreak and guilt. Meanwhile, Balcombe finally admits the time has come to open up about his inner demon, before he is lost forever to the darkness that is consuming him, which has him confronting his debauched lifestyle... and his illuminating repressed memories.
Bailey goes all out to blend their parallel battles for survival into a story that gets beneath the glossy surface of 1950s Hong Kong, exposing the inequalities and injustices, the entitlement and the corruption, the glamour and the grittiness, that make up the mass of contradictions at the heart of the colony. He has such a knack of immersing his readers in time and place, while contriving a crime story that fits like a glove into its setting, and this book is no exception. As I have come to expect from Bailey, there are all the thrills, spills and suave moves from the classic Bond playbook; luscious vibes of noir detective fiction that pit gangsters against morally grey 'good guys'; and the authentic punch of storylines that speak volumes about an author who understands the history he is writing about. This book also brings an extra touch of sparkle with a tongue-in-cheek Hollywood thread to the story, that has Balcombe acting as a stand-in for Clarke Gable no less.
In many ways, this is Baliey's most complex book to date, with layered themes that complement the crime elements. The plotlines twist and turn in menacing style, carrying you towards a very exciting (and somewhat enigmatic) climax that has you rooting for Balcombe completely, despite all his troubling history.
What does all this mean for the future of BlackJack? I am not sure, but I sincerely hope this will not be his last literary outing...
With his fingers firmly crossed, Munro calls on Balcombe's considerable investigative talents to assist with a hush-hush case searching for the missing daughter of the Hong Kong governor's aide-de-camp. Under no illusions that progress will be hampered by a desire to maintain appearances, even Munro and Balcombe are shocked at the scale of the conspiracy of silence they uncover.
In this excellent third instalment of the BlackJack series, Murray Bailey builds nicely on the groundwork of the previous books to plunge into the melting pot of 1950s colonial Hong Kong like never before... and to delve intriguingly into the mind of a killer. Note: You do need to have the previous books, Once a Killer and Second to Sin, before this one.
This is a story all about the need to contain dark secrets, and Bailey slickly weaves this theme throughout a tricky investigation that has Balcombe and Munro working together once more in their unconventional partnership, and in Balcombe's attempts to stop himself being overwhelmed by the monster within. Both Balcombe and Munro hit crisis points in this book, and must choose their paths with care. Munro's career continues to be on the line, as the pesky Garrett breathes down his neck in his desire to bring the Squeezed-Heart murderer to justice, and he is given the impossible task of getting to the truth of disturbing goings on at the very top of Hong Kong society - all while dealing with his own heartbreak and guilt. Meanwhile, Balcombe finally admits the time has come to open up about his inner demon, before he is lost forever to the darkness that is consuming him, which has him confronting his debauched lifestyle... and his illuminating repressed memories.
Bailey goes all out to blend their parallel battles for survival into a story that gets beneath the glossy surface of 1950s Hong Kong, exposing the inequalities and injustices, the entitlement and the corruption, the glamour and the grittiness, that make up the mass of contradictions at the heart of the colony. He has such a knack of immersing his readers in time and place, while contriving a crime story that fits like a glove into its setting, and this book is no exception. As I have come to expect from Bailey, there are all the thrills, spills and suave moves from the classic Bond playbook; luscious vibes of noir detective fiction that pit gangsters against morally grey 'good guys'; and the authentic punch of storylines that speak volumes about an author who understands the history he is writing about. This book also brings an extra touch of sparkle with a tongue-in-cheek Hollywood thread to the story, that has Balcombe acting as a stand-in for Clarke Gable no less.
In many ways, this is Baliey's most complex book to date, with layered themes that complement the crime elements. The plotlines twist and turn in menacing style, carrying you towards a very exciting (and somewhat enigmatic) climax that has you rooting for Balcombe completely, despite all his troubling history.
What does all this mean for the future of BlackJack? I am not sure, but I sincerely hope this will not be his last literary outing...
October 23, 2023
A Third is Darkness is the third book in Murray Bailey's excellent Blackjack series and while each novel features a standalone investigation, the ongoing storyline which really lies at the heart of these books mean I strongly recommend doing yourself a favour by reading the series in order.
The title of this instalment is so apt and although it's taken from an explanation given to Charles Balcombe from his psychoanalyst, it's also a fitting description of the novel itself. The contrast between Balcombe the apparent playboy and Blackjack, his sadistic alter-ego has always been stark but the Mr Hyde side of his personality is increasingly coming to the forefront here and there's a sense of dark foreboding throughout the book. The tense opening scene immediately reveals a tormented, confused Balcombe before the novel takes us back over the preceding days to explain how he ends up in this state. Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Munro is beginning to realise the cost of making deals with, if not the devil, then at least an unpredictable, dangerously out-of-control killer.
Despite his well-founded fears, he still turns to Balcombe again, this time for help with an off-the-books investigation into the disappearance of the seventeen-year-old daughter of the governor of Hong Kong's personal assistant. However, unlike in previous cases, it's Balcombe's keen mind he seeks assistance from here, rather than Balcombe's savagery. He also admits to hoping to distract him from becoming Blackjack, and throughout the book, the dilemma haunting Munro, both personally and professionally is obvious. He has used Blackjack and fears what he is capable of but he has grown to care for Balcombe, in spite of their differences, and consequently attempts to find help for him.
The scenes with Georgina Swift, the psychoanalyst Balcombe turns to are particularly intriguing and while he is never fully honest with her, the sessions do result in us learning more about who he is and how he was shaped into the monster he sees himself as. This is the darkest of the Blackjack books but it's also the most poignant and the balance struck between fearing and pitying the protagonist-cum-anti-hero is superb throughout.
The sense of time and place is first-rate as always; Murray Bailey adroitly captures the disparity between social classes and racial attitudes as well as the vivid comparisons of the affluent areas of Hong Kong and the sinister, barbaric parts of the island; the darkly menacing scenes in Kowloon are in particularly striking juxtaposition to the glamour brought by the Hollywood crew filming the Clark Gable movie, Soldier of Fortune. The investigation into Patricia Albright's disappearance also cleverly explores the dichotomy between what is seen and what is kept hidden as the body count rises. The action briefly moves away from Hong Kong too, and the atmospheric scenes which take place in Macau are utterly nailbiting.
Exciting, suspenseful and really quite moving, A Third is Darkness is another compulsive, polished thriller in a series which keeps getting better; I sincerely hope there is still more to come. Very highly recommended indeed.
The title of this instalment is so apt and although it's taken from an explanation given to Charles Balcombe from his psychoanalyst, it's also a fitting description of the novel itself. The contrast between Balcombe the apparent playboy and Blackjack, his sadistic alter-ego has always been stark but the Mr Hyde side of his personality is increasingly coming to the forefront here and there's a sense of dark foreboding throughout the book. The tense opening scene immediately reveals a tormented, confused Balcombe before the novel takes us back over the preceding days to explain how he ends up in this state. Meanwhile, Detective Inspector Munro is beginning to realise the cost of making deals with, if not the devil, then at least an unpredictable, dangerously out-of-control killer.
Despite his well-founded fears, he still turns to Balcombe again, this time for help with an off-the-books investigation into the disappearance of the seventeen-year-old daughter of the governor of Hong Kong's personal assistant. However, unlike in previous cases, it's Balcombe's keen mind he seeks assistance from here, rather than Balcombe's savagery. He also admits to hoping to distract him from becoming Blackjack, and throughout the book, the dilemma haunting Munro, both personally and professionally is obvious. He has used Blackjack and fears what he is capable of but he has grown to care for Balcombe, in spite of their differences, and consequently attempts to find help for him.
The scenes with Georgina Swift, the psychoanalyst Balcombe turns to are particularly intriguing and while he is never fully honest with her, the sessions do result in us learning more about who he is and how he was shaped into the monster he sees himself as. This is the darkest of the Blackjack books but it's also the most poignant and the balance struck between fearing and pitying the protagonist-cum-anti-hero is superb throughout.
The sense of time and place is first-rate as always; Murray Bailey adroitly captures the disparity between social classes and racial attitudes as well as the vivid comparisons of the affluent areas of Hong Kong and the sinister, barbaric parts of the island; the darkly menacing scenes in Kowloon are in particularly striking juxtaposition to the glamour brought by the Hollywood crew filming the Clark Gable movie, Soldier of Fortune. The investigation into Patricia Albright's disappearance also cleverly explores the dichotomy between what is seen and what is kept hidden as the body count rises. The action briefly moves away from Hong Kong too, and the atmospheric scenes which take place in Macau are utterly nailbiting.
Exciting, suspenseful and really quite moving, A Third is Darkness is another compulsive, polished thriller in a series which keeps getting better; I sincerely hope there is still more to come. Very highly recommended indeed.
January 31, 2024
The 3rd book of the Blackjack series from Murray Bailey, which is a book from his Singapore universe of books.
A Third is Darkness follows Charles Balcombe and his alter ego Blackjack as they continue to struggle to coincide.
With missing people. Murders abound and Balcombe trying to get to the bottom of his problem, Murray Bailey serves up one of his best yet.
Fast paced with searing action and finely plotted mysteries are the name of the game with Murray Bailey and he consistently delivers. The brief is nailed here and we are left with a finale that leaves us waiting.
I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say again, that Murray Bailey is an author who deserves a bigger audience, an author who’s books would fly off the shelf’s given the right spotlight. He’s very good. Another cracking good thriller
A Third is Darkness follows Charles Balcombe and his alter ego Blackjack as they continue to struggle to coincide.
With missing people. Murders abound and Balcombe trying to get to the bottom of his problem, Murray Bailey serves up one of his best yet.
Fast paced with searing action and finely plotted mysteries are the name of the game with Murray Bailey and he consistently delivers. The brief is nailed here and we are left with a finale that leaves us waiting.
I’ve said it many times, and I’ll say again, that Murray Bailey is an author who deserves a bigger audience, an author who’s books would fly off the shelf’s given the right spotlight. He’s very good. Another cracking good thriller
October 21, 2023
Book 3 in the BlackJack thriller series set in Hong Kong in the mid 1950’s. I definitely recommend reading the previous books first to gain an insight into the people involved. Charles Balcombe’s alter ego BlackJack is out of control and the killings mount. Balcombe’s friend DI Munroe is aware that the situation is spiralling and does not know how long he can hold things together, although he has managed to get Balcombe to seek help from a therapist. I’ve spent a bit of time in Hong Kong and this takes me back to my earliest visits in the early 1980’s.
Briefly, when the Governor’s aide-de-camp’s daughter goes missing Munroe is called in and enlists Balcombe to help. However things spiral further as the girl’s disappearance is linked to the death of another girl a year earlier. Can matters get any worse? Of course they can and do!
With multiple counts of violence and an escalating number of deaths this is edge of the seat stuff. Such a good series and Balcombe a brilliant character, I know I shouldn’t love a killer but I just can’t help it. Grabbed my attention from the off and held onto it until the end - a great tense thriller with a fabulous story and plenty of twists and turns. Loved it.
Briefly, when the Governor’s aide-de-camp’s daughter goes missing Munroe is called in and enlists Balcombe to help. However things spiral further as the girl’s disappearance is linked to the death of another girl a year earlier. Can matters get any worse? Of course they can and do!
With multiple counts of violence and an escalating number of deaths this is edge of the seat stuff. Such a good series and Balcombe a brilliant character, I know I shouldn’t love a killer but I just can’t help it. Grabbed my attention from the off and held onto it until the end - a great tense thriller with a fabulous story and plenty of twists and turns. Loved it.
March 20, 2024
Sad ending. Won't be a book 4.
October 29, 2023
The unconventional partnership of Charles Balcombe and DI Munro return in book 3 of the fabulous Blackjack series. A Third is Darkness is, in my opinion, the best in the series so far, probably due to the brilliant groundwork laid down by the author in the previous titles Once A Killer and Second to Sin.
Whilst Balcombe is secretly collaborating with Munro to remove the more unsavory members of the Hong Kong underworld, he is also seeking, via a psychoanalyst, to discover why he has such a dark side and how to counter it.
With Garrett back on the Squeezed Heart Murder case, is time running out for Balcombe's alter ego Blackjack?
With Balcombe falling for the charms of his psychoanalyst, is he about to reveal a little too much about his dark soul.
I highly recommend that you read the previous titles to be able to enjoy the deliciously dark plot and character development in this one.
Balcombe/Blackjack is a complex character that despite his capacity to kill still has the reader rooting for him in a similar way to the lead character in the TV Show Dexter.
But this isn't just about Blackjack, Munro plays a significant role in the story and also serves to highlight the racism in 1950's Hong Kong as he seeks to solve the crimes of the day. His witty relationship with the Coroner adds a little light relief to contrast the darkness of his dealings with Balcombe.
As the police inch closer to discovering Blackjack's identity it explodes in a fantastic finale that will change the lives of all concerned.
An absolutely cracking read - I can't wait for book 4
Whilst Balcombe is secretly collaborating with Munro to remove the more unsavory members of the Hong Kong underworld, he is also seeking, via a psychoanalyst, to discover why he has such a dark side and how to counter it.
With Garrett back on the Squeezed Heart Murder case, is time running out for Balcombe's alter ego Blackjack?
With Balcombe falling for the charms of his psychoanalyst, is he about to reveal a little too much about his dark soul.
I highly recommend that you read the previous titles to be able to enjoy the deliciously dark plot and character development in this one.
Balcombe/Blackjack is a complex character that despite his capacity to kill still has the reader rooting for him in a similar way to the lead character in the TV Show Dexter.
But this isn't just about Blackjack, Munro plays a significant role in the story and also serves to highlight the racism in 1950's Hong Kong as he seeks to solve the crimes of the day. His witty relationship with the Coroner adds a little light relief to contrast the darkness of his dealings with Balcombe.
As the police inch closer to discovering Blackjack's identity it explodes in a fantastic finale that will change the lives of all concerned.
An absolutely cracking read - I can't wait for book 4
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews