The Chalon Heads

Brock & Kolla #4

by Barry Maitland

When Scotland Yard detectives David Brock and Kathy Kolla are summoned to Cabot's, a venerable dealer of rare stamps, they expect a simple case of theft and a pleasant digression from the usual sort of wrongdoing encountered in the Serious Crime Branch. Instead, they find themselves on the trail of an extortionist when they learn that the wife of Sammy China, an unsavory figure from Brock's past, has been kidnapped. The only clue is a ransom note decorated with rare and valuable Chalon Head stamps of the young Queen Victoria, to whom Sammy's wife bears an uncanny resemblance.

"The third and finest case so far for this underrated pair of coppers, and the most satisfyingly twisty mystery of the year." (Kirkus Reviews, starred)

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Fiction, British Literature, Mystery Thriller, Procedural, Suspense

326 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Barry Maitland is the author of the acclaimed Brock and Kolla series of crime mystery novels, which are set in London, where Barry grew up after his family moved there.

His books have been described as whydunits as much as whodunits, concerned with the devious histories and motivations of their characters. Barry's background in architecture drew him to the structured character of the mystery novel, and his books are notable for their ingenious plots as well as for their atmospheric settings, each in a different intriguing corner of London.

Barry studied architecture at Cambridge University, and went on to work as an architect in the UK, then took a PhD in urban design at the University of Sheffield, where he also taught and wrote a number of books on architecture and urban design. In 1984 he moved to Australia to head the architecture school at the University of Newcastle in New South Wales, and held that position until 2000. He now writes fiction full time, and lives in the Hunter Valley, Australia.

Reviews

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

When a person from Detective David Brock's past wanted to see him, a man called Sammy Starling, Brock wanted nothing to do with him. But he would speak to no one else. His young wife, Eva, was missing - had been for a few days, and he wanted Brock to find her. As the investigation began and Brock and his partner, Detective Kathy Kolla, were called to Cabot's, a large, important dealer of rare stamps, it turned out that Sammy was a stamp collector, and his pride and joy was the Chalon Head. The investigation was convoluted, with leads going in every direction and it wasn't long before the Fraud Squad was also involved. With blackmail, fraud, murder and drugs confusing the issue, they wondered if they'd ever get to the bottom of Eva's disappearance, along with the murder of a young police woman twelve months prior...

The Chalon Heads is the 4th in the Brock & Kolla series by Aussie author Barry Maitland and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Filled with intrigue, brutality, characters who didn't know how to speak the truth - it was all there. I'm not reading this series in order - started late, going back - but with both the main characters as completely consistent, it's never a problem. Highly recommended.

[Damo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Serious Crimes Unit at New Scotland Yard has become the home for DS Kathy Kolla, lead protagonist in 3 earlier books by Barry Maitland. She has been taken under the wing of DCI David Brock, an enigmatic detective who has recognised her extraordinary talent when it comes to insightful and intuitively astute detective work. The Chalon Heads continues the trend of snappily paced police procedurals, although this time the integrity of DCI Brock will be placed under close scrutiny as will Kathy Kolla's ability to operate under profound pressure.

Sammy Starling is a former gangster who has requested some special help from DCI Brock. It seems that Starling's wife has been abducted. His request is special because he was responsible 10 years earlier for uncovering corrupt police with one of the police, DI Marty Keller serving a 10 year prison sentence. Brock was the lead officer in the case back then and Starling believes that Brock is the only policeman who would agree to help him given his past.

When the ransom demand comes it comes in an unusual form, one that's got everyone scratching their heads. Instead of demanding money, Starling is ordered to buy a particularly valuable stamp and envelope at an upcoming auction and then deliver it to them. Although unorthodox, Brock and his team set up to cover the exchange, but things don't go as smoothly as hoped.
In fact, the fallout from the botched exchange results in the removal of Kolla from Brock's team, from which she is transferred to the Fraud Squad - a demotion in her view. Brock, on the other hand is suspended pending an inquiry that sees him facing charges of corruption over the way he handled the case. From here things take a sudden and dramatic turn as the case goes from a kidnapping / murder case to a forgery / fraud one. Kathy still can't come to terms with the suspicions surrounding Brock and suspects that there is a lot more going on than she is being made privy to.

Through some thorough investigation, Kathy begins to find out a few startling facts about Sammy Starling and the relationship he had with his wife. Suddenly, a crack begins to appear in the whole kidnapping scenario for her to slip a couple of inquiring fingers into. What she uncovers is a complex web of deception that dates back over 10 years.

A complete change comes over the pace of the story after the opening few chapters. It starts with a slow build up early on where we are given the kidnapping scenario mixed with a thorough lesson in philately paying particular attention to the history of stamps featuring the Chalon Head pose. But then, after the attempted ransom payoff we are thrust into overdrive as allegations are cast around, murders begin with alarming frequency and Kathy is compelled to push harder than she ever has done in the past.

With quite a lot happening over a short period of time, The Chalon Heads is a plot-driven story that grows in complexity, moving rapidly from a straightforward extortion to a more convoluted conspiracy. Barry Maitland has been developing his principal characters throughout the series so doesn't appear to have seen the need to go into too much detail here. This is a little disappointing because Kathy Kolla was just starting to blossom as an individual rather than simply as a detective during All My Enemies. Here, she is cast once again simply as a detective with no outside life to speak of. I found that aspect to be just a little too bland in the context of the series so far. We are given a limited insight into Brock's past through his earlier involvement with Sammy Starling, but any detail about him is confined to his professional life rather than personal. He remains a very enigmatic character.

As a police procedural, this is a well-conceived and presented mystery that develops nicely into a tangled tale of deceit that heads for an unexpected ending. Maitland manages to keep the story fresh and interesting providing moments of intrigue mixed with complete shocks thanks to some deft shifts in direction (and misdirection). In Kolla he has created a tenacious and insightful investigator through whom he lays each step of the case out in a logical, plausible manner.

The Chalon Heads continues a very enjoyable police procedural series that makes good use of outside interests (in this case the breathtaking world of philately) while giving the reader an interesting mystery to solve.

[Jazz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I knew who first recommended Maitland's Brock & Kolla series to me, because I owe them a huge debt of thanks. I further confess that I've become less than objective after reading four of the books. Each book brings such a wealth of information (in this case early postage stamps)—as well as all the twists and turns of a good mystery—that you quickly fall into the world that the book brings alive. The pacing and flow is excellent, and the reader feels a little like a leaf on a stream, floating smoothly along where the author sends us, diverting into this little rivulet, then rejoining the flow of the main stream, never knowing exactly where we will end up.

DS Kathy Kolla is remarkably drawn, as I sometimes find a strong female character does not ring true to me when written by a male author. But Maitland again finds just the right notes to make her believable. This has become one of my very favorite series.

[Eric_W · Rating 4 out of 5]

One interesting little thing is that the title of the print book is ..a Kathy and Brock mystery while the title of the Kindle book is a much more feminist ...Brock and Kolla mystery. 

Brock is DCI Brock and Kathy/Kolla is his Sergeant Kathy Kolla. This particular one of the series will be of especial interest to philatelists. A very wealthy man, and supposed expert on the Chalon Heads, a series of valuable stamps, has had his wife kidnapped nd the demand is an extremely valuable Canada 12 Penny Black. When her head appears at the end of the lane, things start to get serious.  

I thought the book got off to a slow start but then became much more interesting as it morphed into charges of fraud against Brock and an investigation into stamp forgeries.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow! Really, really good. Pretty sure I learned about this book through Bookbub and/or it was a Kindle Daily Deal. I just love it when I find a real gem that way!

This has a lot of the elements that I enjoy so much in a mystery novel: set in Britain, police procedural, sympathetic detectives with lots of good character development, a subject matter that's a bit arcane (in this case, stamp collecting). Very well plotted and I was definitely surprised at the ending. I would put this right up there with books by some of my other favorite mystery writers, like Elizabeth George and Louise Penny. Highly recommend!

[Nila · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mind-bendingly complex murder mystery that I could never have solved in my lifetime. Not only was just about any one in the book a possible killer, they could also have been thieves, kidnappers, addicts, counterfeiters, police on the take or merely a law enforcement officer with a long-held grudge. I don't mind not getting enough clues to solve a mystery, but when the story is so convoluted I no longer care, the book and I have a problem.

I was also confused by the mix of relationships and tone. This was a story with smart phones and computers, so it is not set in the 1930's, but I kept feeling that someone had great nostalgia for that time. The whole book seemed to have an older sensibility. There was one possible romance between officers of many years acquaintance that had such a stately pace that I don't see them on a date unless the series runs to 20 books. The amazingly sharp female officer has an emotional commitment to her Superintendent that had me wondering if there was much more going on that I would never know. She was just too loyal, too worshipful for a story where people who have worked together for years don't even know if the person they worship is married. However, one of the possible suspects is 50+ and married to an 18-year old. The young bride is an addict who has her head chopped off. You see, there's severe reticence combined with exuberant criminal activity. There's the older man obsessed with his teen-age wife and a whole group of police who seem to operate in a vacuum both emotionally and in their work.

Again, I've dished a bit of slightly negative observations, but I think I'll try another book by this author very soon.

[Gary Van Cott · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have probably read 150 mysteries (all set outside the US) in the past 18 months and this is the first one that included a subject in which I have some expertise. I even own a few Chalon Heads from New Zealand. The philatelic data is reasonably accurate, the only detail that has been changed to fit the plot is the expertization of stamps and covers. The leading organization for this in the world is in the UK, The Royal Philatelic Society, London. They do this work by committee, not as individuals. A valuable items like the cover that was featured in this book would be submitted to the Royal prior to the auction. I wondered if questions about its authenticity would raised in the book, but they weren't. While many of the philatelic references in the book were explained, a few were left for philatelists to smile about.

[Kirsty Darbyshire]

[My comments are taken from a mailing list discussion and as such contain spoilers!]

[on the characters]

I was finding Brock to be not quite himself at the beginning of the book and was pleased when this was explained by plot rather than by inconsistent writing. I think everyone else was consistently portrayed too, I'm really enjoying seeing the characters develop bit by bit.

I was really pleased that the woman in the red sports car from the first book appeared again, I was thinking that Maitland had forgotten about her. That's the kind of detail that draws me from book to book in a series and makes series books the great reads they often are. I was glad to see a few more recurring characters in Bren and Leon - I'm really intrigued by the fact that Leon uses a transvestite bar as a hideaway, I want to learn more about him in future books.

I didn't really miss anyone from previous books, I'd like to see more of the side characters to the police, like Kathy's Aunt Maryanne and Bren's family but I'm satisfied that Maitland will show us more in future books.

I thought all the characters were very well drawn, as have been the vast majority of characters in the series so far. I liked the addition of more police characters like McLarren, who I hope we will see more of, and all the people involved in the investigation seemed very real, Sammy, Eva, Sally, Marianna, the Fitzpatricks, Waverly, the stamp people etc. I didn't find myself having to suspend disbelief at all in this book.

[on the plot]

As with the characters I found the plot immensely believable and my disbelief only needed to be suspended at the minimum level needed for storytelling. Everything fitted together so well.

The major strength of the story to me was how well the stamp collecting theme fitted in, it was absolutely endemic to the story with links right back to Sammy's childhood and especially to the part about how Sammy "bought" Eva from her father. At the beginning I thought the ransom notes were a little contrived but by the end they seemed perfectly reasonable.

The parts that I found weakest were devices that seemed a bit repetitious when put next to the earlier books. I had a minor tantrum with Maitland when Kathy was taken off the case in the exact middle of the book. I was glad that this got explained within a handful of pages as it really irked me having happened at least twice before. Also the bent coppers theme reared it's head again, you can trust no one in these books.

The resolution worked for me, I liked the way Kathy brought White into the party for the showdown. That was consistent with her previous behaviour of going out on her own, but a lot safer this time. I got a little confused by Keller doing the shooting. I rather thought he wasn't really involved, was he just being manipulated by White? All in all I thought the ending was really good. I also like the bit in the hospital with Brock confessing and Leon smirking at Kathy for saying that she trusted him not to have stolen the cover, I thought that was a very neat and interesting part of the ending.

[on the setting]

My favourite scene was the part where Desai accused Brock of stealing the cover, lots of tension and sparky stuff. My least favourite was the bit with the head being discovered when the writing switched into the present tense. I don't know if Maitland has done tense switching elsewhere without me picking up on it but that bit really jarred and I had to keep rereading sentences to check that I wasn't just misreading things. I don't mind present tense writing in general but this switch just didn't work for me.

Lots of other scenes were good too, I liked seeing Brock at Battle Abbey with the children and wondering what was going on there, I liked nearly all the scenes at the end of the book, I liked the stamp collecting scenes at the auction, I liked Kathy at the Crow's Nest. There were few scenes that didn't work for me really.

The stamp collecting setting really worked for me, the best setting since Jerusalem Lane, and as I said in the previous question it was so good because it wasn't just a setting but totally wound up inside the plot.

[on themes etc]

For me The Chalon Heads was the strongest in the series yet and I'm really looking forward to reading more. I thought everything hung together very neatly in this book. The device of chucking Kathy off an investigation halfway through the story is getting tedious but that's about it for major annoyances. I feel Kathy is still the same character who wandered out onto building sites alone at night and took tea with murderers but she's learning appropriate ways to go out on her own now. That development is good.

I'm still annoyed with the names thing (that Kathy Kolla is Kathy whilst David Brock is Brock) but it doesn't jar so much after four books and we have been much closer to Kathy's point of view most of the time than Brock's so it doesn't seem so unreasonable a distinction as it did up front. In fact we haven't done much from Brock's point of view since The Malcontenta I think. I'd like to see more of Brock's point of view in future books.

I've only just realised that I can't remember any architecture details appearing in this book, I liked that theme in earlier books but I was so caught up in the stamp collecting that I didn't notice. I'd imagine we get another dose of architecture in the next book as I see it's set in a shopping centre and I've also seen that Maitland has written academic tomes on shopping centre design.

This was definitely the best in the series so far for me though.

[Fasterpussycat Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best of the Brock and Kolla series

[Nancy Oakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

another one of 3.5 rating rounded up to a 4. (will we EVER get the 1/2 star option here???)

The Chalon Heads is the fourth installment of the series featuring DCI Brock and his partner, Kathy Kolla. As the book opens, Brock and Kolla are called to speak with Sammy Starling, a career criminal who some years earlier had been arrested, but turned the tables on the police force by handing them some dirty policemen. Now Starling wants Brock's help because his wife, Eva (much younger than Starling) has, it seems, been abducted, and the kidnappers want Sammy to buy a very valuable Chalon Head stamp at an upcoming auction, rather than money, as the price of Eva's return. Brock & his fellow officers agree to help, but something goes terribly wrong in the process, leading to Brock's ouster from the case. It will be up to Kolla to take the lead in the investigation, but too many people are keeping secrets that they do not wish to reveal, making her job a most difficult one. Add to that a number of suspects, all with axes to grind -- and you have a mystery novel that will keep you reading.

As a police procedural, it's good, but the further into the investigation the principals get, the more complicated the story becomes, making it a bit difficult at times to keep up. The overall story is well done, and there's a solid mystery here with an ending that I didn't see coming.

I would certainly recommend this novel to readers of British mysteries and police procedurals. If you're a cozy reader, this might be a bit dark but at the same time, it's not as gritty as more hard-core police procedurals I've read, falling somewhere nicely in the middle.

Overall -- not bad, and it's on to the next Kolla and Brock mystery novel.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me a while to get into this one--for some reason the plot just didn't grab me until about a third of the way through. But once I got into it, I did enjoy it. I'm not crazy about the third person p.o.v. shift from Kolla to the other characters; I didn't notice it until the last book, and it kind of bugs me. I guess it's necessary if he's going to write scenes when she's not there, but if he's going to use it, then I think he should use it more. It's so infrequent that when it happens, it's just odd. I'd prefer him to not use it at all and stick with Kolla. I also miss how much Brock was in the mix during The Malcontenta; he's been more of an outsider in the last two. I hope he gets back into it in the books to come. And I hope Kolla and Desai finally hook up!

[Martina · Rating 4 out of 5]

#4, of the Brock and Kolla series by Barry Maitland. Just finished #3..... These books are fairly intense. Police procedural overlaid with sometimes creepy, sometimes horrible behaviors. Still I like the two main characters, as well as the 'supporting' cast in the police. Once I start reading, I really don't want to do anything else!

OK, this was a bit longer but read it whenever I had a moment. Another intense story, with horrible consequences for several people. Kathy just keeps digging deeper all the time! No one is really all good, but some of the bad people aren't all bad either. Fascinating deductions save the day!

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great addition to the series.

[Diana Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent holiday reading. A twisting and turning tale of mystery and intrigue.
Who can be trusted? Why is Brock behaving oddly and why has Kathy been moved to the fraud squad right in the middle of a kidnapping investigation that has now turned to murder?

DS Kathy Kolla, who never gives up digging until she's found the answers has a work cut out in this story when an old foe of Brock's asks for his specific help in finding who has kidnapped his wife, when the ransom notes make their demands for her release a complex chain of events is set in motion and stamp collecting (of all things) is at the very heart of it.

Secrets, lies, deception, jealousy, revenge and fraud combine leading the reader on the investigation trail with Kathy. My suspicions about the murderer started about 2/3 through the book, and by the 3/4 point I was reasonably sure. It was only when one of the characters was shot that I was certain and I was right. The key to the whole thing was what happened a long time ago when Brock had to investigate 3 policemen for fraud and fell out with one of the policemen investigating with him. He seemed an odd and pathetic character, and had been playing a long game to snare Brock and everyone else he felt had not regarded him highly enough, or had more success than he did, and nobody had twigged to how dangerous he was until it was too late. Even then he might have got away with it all if it hadn't been for Kathy.

I am really enjoying this series of books, they are so well written in terms of plot and characters. You can visualize the characters and the scenes quite vividly, and the plots always keep you guessing, just when you think you know what's going on something - often a small thing - will crop up and make you wonder so you start to think a bit harder trying to solve the crime. That's what make these books compelling reading, you want to solve the puzzle.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! It isn't often that a police procedural/mystery rates a five-star review, but when it is as well crafted (also a word I don't apply lightly,) as this one, the rating is absolutely deserved. I have just one question: Barry Maitland, where have you been all my life?!
This book is already on my " re-read" list as it has so many twists and turns that I could barely keep up! However, unlike many other books which do the same thing, but end up in a hopeless muddle, Mr. Maitland does his juggling with great finesse so that it all makes sense and comes to a very satisfying conclusion.
An avid stamp collector and (supposedly former) criminal, Sammy Starling's wife has been kidnapped and held for a very specific ransom, namely an extremely rare stamp from Tasmania. The police, in the team of Kathy Kolla and DCI Brock, are called on to attempt to rescue the young and beautiful Mrs. Starling. Along the way, they meet many suspicious characters, who aren't so much red herrings as puzzle pieces: the nervous neighbors, the classy friends, the two housekeepers, one from back in Sammy's day and one from Mrs. Starling's Portuguese childhood, the private eye, the stamp expert, the old police colleague, the ex-con copper with a presumed ax to grind...the list goes on and on.
While I feel readers should be warned that this is not a comfortable read, (it IS a crime novel, after all!) the language and situations are far less obscene than other books in this genre have been lately. If you read this one, be sure to bring your wits with you, you'll need them!

[Michael Martz · Rating 3 out of 5]

As one of the characters in Barry Maitland's "The Chalon Heads" puts it, 'Kidnapping, decapitation, and philately! What could be more fascinating!'. Well, it wasn't exactly 'lawyers, guns, and money', but it was an interesting read, anyway. I personally expanded my knowledge of British stamp collecting a hundredfold, at least.

Brock and Kolla, the two London detectives driving Maitland's long series, are quite a pair. Brock's an older guy with great experience, Kolla a young woman with great drive who's still learning. Brock is called into a case where Sammy, an old criminal-gone-straight, asks for help in finding his beautiful, very young wife, who has disappeared. Strange ransom notes containing rare stamps begin to appear, which feeds into the plot centered around high end stamp collecting and counterfeiting. Brock's pulled off the case for mysterious reasons, Kolla continues to push forward and things become very, very, very complicated.

I've enjoyed the many Brock and Kolla mysteries I've read, but The Chalon Heads is almost too contrived. The many twists and turns, particularly near the end, are head-spinning. They ultimately make sense and the situation gets sorted out by the book's conclusion, but I can truly say this is one I couldn't have predicted, although hints were dropped along the way. Good writing, obscure topic, a bit too much at the end, but a worthy addition to the series.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good grief. So much went wrong with this book. First off, the numerous passages about stamps was BORING.

Secondly, I don't know why it took Kathy so long to suspect the real murderer. From the get go, she knew Peter White was obsessed with Sammy, familiar with all his habits down to the tiniest detail, and that he harbored a fanatical hatred for the man. Not only does she not even consider White for the majority of the book, she feeds him crucial information that leads to Sammy's death. When did Kathy become so dense? She should be let go from the investigating team not because Brock was trying to shield her, but because of incompetence.

Second, not only Kathy but a bunch of other police officers missed Waverley changing up the stamps. Pretty sad observation skills. I caught it right away.

Third, not enough Brock. And when he was in the story, the levity he usually provides was missing.

Last, the one thing which did offer some promise was the budding relationship between Kathy and Leon. Until it was torpedoed at the end because, you guessed it, Kathy did something stupid.

A most frustrating read.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd Brock and Kolla novel I've read and I'm becoming a big fan of Barry Maitland.
He writes impressively, with complex and fascinating plots and pleasing character portrayals.
This one provides an intriguing story line, which twists in different directions and keeps the reader wondering.
Much of the narrative concerns elite stamp collections and collectors and I have to admit I found the details at times a little tedious, although thy were clearly necessary for the narrative.

A minor quibble is that I found the autopsy description a little more graphic than one usually encounters - not sure that it was really necessary.

Overall, it's a great read and I'm keen to get hold of as many of this series of novels as I can.

[Pgchuis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm still enjoying these, but this one was very complicated. I think I should have kept notes on the whereabouts of the Canada Cover. I have learnt something about stamp collecting, and am enjoying the slow burn Kathy/Leon romance (at least I hope that's what it will be).

I kind of guessed the ending, although not all of it. These would be even better honestly if they were one or two degrees less convoluted.

[D.L. Morrese · Rating 3 out of 5]

DCI Brock of Scotland Yard is contacted by Sammy China, a possibly former "shady character." Sammy is seeking help. He says his wife has been kidnapped, producing two ransom notes displaying destroyed collectable stamps. The meaning is not immediately clear, but it must have something to do with Sammy's hobby of collecting rare Chalon head postage stamps.

This one kept me guessing all the way to the end. It's a good whodunit.

[Vic Lauterbach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fine outing for DCI Brock and DS Kolla in this police procedural which has good supporting characters, an excellent plot and an exciting conclusion plus some fascinating philatelic background as a bonus (a valuable stamp is the McGuffin). I highly recommend this novel and the series (although I haven't yet read #1 and #3 because my local library doesn't have them).

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Angela

I plan to,read more books by this author. Enjoyed the mystery in this story and couldn’t figure out the culprit until the end. I have to admit that at times the passing back and forth of the stamps (real and not real) was confusing. I would just gloss over those pages and go on with the story. All in all, I enjoyed the book.

[Audrey Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The case of a kidnapped woman and the circumstances surrounding it may on the surface seem like a typical crime procedural but was actually more complex. These twists and turns and supporting characters (including the Chalon head stamps) made this (and Maitland's prior Kolla and Brock books) an absorbing read.

[Maura Keefe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love the characters. And glad this one isn't my first in the series. Got more bogged down in stamp collecting than I cared to read about. Interestingly, the author knew this and had a character observe, "women don't care about stamp collecting." But British police procedural it is and that's for the win.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maitland books envelop me in the place, immerse me in the characters, but after reading six others, I found The Chalon Heads to be one of the best ones. And a good excursion into the world of stamps.
I’m worried that I’m running out of Brock/Kolla boks.

[R.L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a good read. The mystery of Sammy Starling was thorough from start to finish. The actual murderer gave nothing away so I was surprised by the end reveal. I recommend this to mystery lovers.

[Fran Bolte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stamp collection on steroids!

What a romp through a mystery including stamp collecting, missteps, twists and turns! This was a constant page turner so don’t read it if waking in the night, you’ll never get back to sleep!

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining, with a lovely tangled story-line. This one kept me guessing right to the end, and I just was not able to put it down. Barry is now one of my favourite authors.

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

I usually really like these Brock and Kolla books but this one left me with much to be desired. Too much "stamp" talk and not enough real action.

[Sophie Dowling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing until the end. Pace slowed as the politics of the Police Department slowed down the investigation- a narrative suspense mechanism?