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Erasmus Jones #1
The Silent Pool
One choice: run…or die.
It is a time of austerity. Financial cuts are biting hard and the once great City of Liverpool finds itself now almost bankrupt. At the eleventh hour funding is found in the form of enigmatic billionaire Kirk Bovind, a religious zealot, determined to change the moral fibre and bring salvation to the streets.
Against this backdrop a man disappears without trace. Solitary lawyer, Erasmus Jones, agrees to track the missing Stephen down, but quickly discovers that this is more than just a missing person case. Men are being brutally murdered across the city and Erasmus discovers that Bovind, the murdered men and Stephen once knew each other as boys…
How long can the past be kept secret? How long can secrets stay hidden? And who will be the next to die...?
395 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 15, 2014
6 people are currently reading
47 people want to read
About the author
Phil Kurthausen
4 books21 followersPhil Kurthausen was brought up in Merseyside where he dreamt of being a novelist but ended up working as a lawyer. He has travelled the world working as a flower salesman, a light bulb repair technician and, though scared of heights, painting the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Ken Dodd once put him in a headlock for being annoying.
He has had work broadcast on BBC radio 4 extra, published award winning short stories and his novel ‘The Killing Pool’ won the Thriller Round in the Harper Collins People’s Novelist Competition broadcast on ITV in November 2011 and appeared in the final. It was later shortlisted for the Dundee International Literary Prize in 2012. He lives in Barcelona.
He has had work broadcast on BBC radio 4 extra, published award winning short stories and his novel ‘The Killing Pool’ won the Thriller Round in the Harper Collins People’s Novelist Competition broadcast on ITV in November 2011 and appeared in the final. It was later shortlisted for the Dundee International Literary Prize in 2012. He lives in Barcelona.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 11, 2014
Erasmus Jones returned from Afghanistan haunted by demons which caused his marriage to Miranda to collapse. When she moved to Liverpool with his six year old daughter, Abby, he felt he had no choice but to follow them. Erasmus is attempting to retrain as a lawyer, but the much needed training contract to complete his studies is proving elusive and so he is currently working partly as a P.I. When he is asked by his friend Dan Trent to look into the disappearance of a man called Stephen Francis, whose wife Jenna has reported him missing, he is not keen on taking one what looks to be a routine job. However, before long he begins to feel that there is more to the case than it first appears.
The Liverpool that Erasmus Jones is living in is a depressed and near-ruined city, suffering a financial crisis. Abby’s school, along with most in the city, is suffering strikes as staff cannot be paid. Mayor Lynch has no idea how he can keep the city afloat, until a lifeline is thrown from an unlikely source. Kirk Bovind is a software billionaire who was born in Liverpool before leaving to make his fortune in America. Now he has returned to his birthplace and is offering to fund the city’s school system – but there is a price to pay. Bovind is a believer of the Third Wave, and Stephen Francis was also a follower. His software, which will be installed in every school, offers a religious message which denies the scientific, such as the theory of evolution, in favour of answers based solely on faith and superstition.
Meanwhile, Erasmus Jones finds that reporter Rachel Harrop, from the Liverpool Echo, is also interested in the story of Kirk Bovind and the missing man. Erasmus discovers an old photograph of a charismatic preacher in the Church, Father Michael, and a group of schoolboys which included both Bovind and Stephen Francis. One by one those boys are now being targeted and killed. What happened, so long ago, which has resulted in murder and who is responsible? As demonstrations are organised against the influence of Bovind and his Church in the education of the children of Liverpool, Erasmus has to track down a killer, unravel the mystery of what happened so long ago, protect his family and ask who he can really trust.
This is a fast paced thriller, with a fantastic setting and believable characters. The author has cleverly used the city of Liverpool, almost as a character in itself, yet creates a sinister undercurrent with a new religious wave sweeping long held beliefs aside. It asks how far governments and councils will go to receive much needed funding and what levels religious extremists will go to in their attempts to control people. Yet, at the heart of the story, is a good, old fashioned, mystery and it is here that the novel works at its best. You have a great cast of possible suspects and motives, creepy baddies and a haunting plot full of twists and turns. Erasmus Jones has to be one of the best named heroes I can remember and I hope that he will return in another novel. A great debut and a promising author.
I received a copy of this book, from the publisher, for review.
The Liverpool that Erasmus Jones is living in is a depressed and near-ruined city, suffering a financial crisis. Abby’s school, along with most in the city, is suffering strikes as staff cannot be paid. Mayor Lynch has no idea how he can keep the city afloat, until a lifeline is thrown from an unlikely source. Kirk Bovind is a software billionaire who was born in Liverpool before leaving to make his fortune in America. Now he has returned to his birthplace and is offering to fund the city’s school system – but there is a price to pay. Bovind is a believer of the Third Wave, and Stephen Francis was also a follower. His software, which will be installed in every school, offers a religious message which denies the scientific, such as the theory of evolution, in favour of answers based solely on faith and superstition.
Meanwhile, Erasmus Jones finds that reporter Rachel Harrop, from the Liverpool Echo, is also interested in the story of Kirk Bovind and the missing man. Erasmus discovers an old photograph of a charismatic preacher in the Church, Father Michael, and a group of schoolboys which included both Bovind and Stephen Francis. One by one those boys are now being targeted and killed. What happened, so long ago, which has resulted in murder and who is responsible? As demonstrations are organised against the influence of Bovind and his Church in the education of the children of Liverpool, Erasmus has to track down a killer, unravel the mystery of what happened so long ago, protect his family and ask who he can really trust.
This is a fast paced thriller, with a fantastic setting and believable characters. The author has cleverly used the city of Liverpool, almost as a character in itself, yet creates a sinister undercurrent with a new religious wave sweeping long held beliefs aside. It asks how far governments and councils will go to receive much needed funding and what levels religious extremists will go to in their attempts to control people. Yet, at the heart of the story, is a good, old fashioned, mystery and it is here that the novel works at its best. You have a great cast of possible suspects and motives, creepy baddies and a haunting plot full of twists and turns. Erasmus Jones has to be one of the best named heroes I can remember and I hope that he will return in another novel. A great debut and a promising author.
I received a copy of this book, from the publisher, for review.
December 16, 2016
**full version posted on my blog, Avid Reader**
Plot: So, if you’ve been following me for a while, you know I love love LOVE crime/mystery books, but there are few authors who can pull off a really good crime/mystery plot well *cough James Patterson and Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling cough* so, as usual, I was wary of what would happen and if the plot would actually be good and I wouldn’t figure out ‘who dunit?’ earlier than I meant to. Thankfully, this did not disappoint at all! There were so many twists and interesting pieces of evidence and strings that it ended up being that you would think one theory and then read something and change your theory and it would keep building and repeating until you realize that your end theory is nothing like what actually happened/who actually ‘dunit’ and I loved that so much! The plot was so complex and interesting without it being confusing and that was the best part of it all; the way I was reading it – on my phone’s kindle app – it showed that I had a TON to read – it’s actually like 359 pages which isn’t that big – but, after getting over my shock that I had so much to read, I didn’t really feel it. I was too into what was happening that I didn’t really pay attention to how far I was.
Characters: If you’ve read the Cormoran Strike novels by Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling, then you’ll get what I’m about to say: Cormoran = the slightly rougher, older, American version of Erasmus. Like about halfway through, I realized that and that just made me like TSP so much more. They definitely have different thoughts, experiences and situations so I’m not sure how exactly I’m thinking that CS = Erasmus but hopefully that connection helps you understand the main character in TSP….anyways, I quite liked Erasmus as he was rough and edgy and could have come off as just ugh but the way he was written, how he thought and his experiences smoothened him out so he was a pretty well-written character. Other characters – I won’t name names for sake of non-spoileryness – were also really well written! I don’t want to spoil anything so I can’t say much but I will say I realllllly liked the ‘cast’ of TSP.
Okay I think that covers the main points I wanted to say. Oh it was also set in the UK which I loved LOL and the book was really well written. Overall, I’ve gotta say, I really liked The Silent Pool!
Plot: So, if you’ve been following me for a while, you know I love love LOVE crime/mystery books, but there are few authors who can pull off a really good crime/mystery plot well *cough James Patterson and Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling cough* so, as usual, I was wary of what would happen and if the plot would actually be good and I wouldn’t figure out ‘who dunit?’ earlier than I meant to. Thankfully, this did not disappoint at all! There were so many twists and interesting pieces of evidence and strings that it ended up being that you would think one theory and then read something and change your theory and it would keep building and repeating until you realize that your end theory is nothing like what actually happened/who actually ‘dunit’ and I loved that so much! The plot was so complex and interesting without it being confusing and that was the best part of it all; the way I was reading it – on my phone’s kindle app – it showed that I had a TON to read – it’s actually like 359 pages which isn’t that big – but, after getting over my shock that I had so much to read, I didn’t really feel it. I was too into what was happening that I didn’t really pay attention to how far I was.
Characters: If you’ve read the Cormoran Strike novels by Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling, then you’ll get what I’m about to say: Cormoran = the slightly rougher, older, American version of Erasmus. Like about halfway through, I realized that and that just made me like TSP so much more. They definitely have different thoughts, experiences and situations so I’m not sure how exactly I’m thinking that CS = Erasmus but hopefully that connection helps you understand the main character in TSP….anyways, I quite liked Erasmus as he was rough and edgy and could have come off as just ugh but the way he was written, how he thought and his experiences smoothened him out so he was a pretty well-written character. Other characters – I won’t name names for sake of non-spoileryness – were also really well written! I don’t want to spoil anything so I can’t say much but I will say I realllllly liked the ‘cast’ of TSP.
Okay I think that covers the main points I wanted to say. Oh it was also set in the UK which I loved LOL and the book was really well written. Overall, I’ve gotta say, I really liked The Silent Pool!
January 30, 2014
Although this was a crime story, for me the more interesting aspect of this book was the Lightspeed Intracom sub-plot.
The company agrees to finance an election if they are allowed to influence the curriculum in schools. Intracom has produced the search engine software Lightspeed, which is already installed on nearly 70% of existing laptops/computers. The search engine regulates what the searcher sees, ergo defining and controlling their information gathering and the results of their info requests.
In this case it has been designed to eliminate and distort info searches on evolution.
This is a fictional company but the way they determine how people or what people read when they use a search engine is equivalent to our very own Google.
The company Intracom is part of a large religious group/cult, who do not believe in the theory of evolution. Intracom is also the publisher of school books in certain areas of the curriculum. The content in those books has also been changed in regards to the teaching of evolution.
Again this is reminiscent of Google's almost all encompassing tentacles in every area and the school book publishing sub-plot is arrow shot straight at Texas. They also want to eradicate certain scientific aspects of our learning and replace them with religious beliefs. They are well-known for having a stronghold over content in US school textbooks and are responsible for the publication of the majority of textbooks.
The censorship of information flow and the manipulation of the masses via global technology and media giants is something which is already upon us in a big way.
There are also historical comparisons, the members of the church are called The Third Wavers (Third Reich, also reference to the film the Wave), the members wear red shirts (Brown-shirts of Germany) and they use a salute to greet each other.
All of the above is actually just a small part of the story, which is an intricately woven tale of faith and revenge.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of Carina Harlequin UK via NetGalley.
The company agrees to finance an election if they are allowed to influence the curriculum in schools. Intracom has produced the search engine software Lightspeed, which is already installed on nearly 70% of existing laptops/computers. The search engine regulates what the searcher sees, ergo defining and controlling their information gathering and the results of their info requests.
In this case it has been designed to eliminate and distort info searches on evolution.
This is a fictional company but the way they determine how people or what people read when they use a search engine is equivalent to our very own Google.
The company Intracom is part of a large religious group/cult, who do not believe in the theory of evolution. Intracom is also the publisher of school books in certain areas of the curriculum. The content in those books has also been changed in regards to the teaching of evolution.
Again this is reminiscent of Google's almost all encompassing tentacles in every area and the school book publishing sub-plot is arrow shot straight at Texas. They also want to eradicate certain scientific aspects of our learning and replace them with religious beliefs. They are well-known for having a stronghold over content in US school textbooks and are responsible for the publication of the majority of textbooks.
The censorship of information flow and the manipulation of the masses via global technology and media giants is something which is already upon us in a big way.
There are also historical comparisons, the members of the church are called The Third Wavers (Third Reich, also reference to the film the Wave), the members wear red shirts (Brown-shirts of Germany) and they use a salute to greet each other.
All of the above is actually just a small part of the story, which is an intricately woven tale of faith and revenge.
I received a copy of this book courtesy of Carina Harlequin UK via NetGalley.
August 8, 2014
Tedious at times, I thought that it was quite predictable in several areas - especially who the guy was who asks a specific question numerous times through the book. Unbelievable in a number of areas - especially when two people jumped 50 feet out of a building and both survived with virtually no injuries. I'm not really a total perfectionist, but there were numerous spelling mistakes and grammatical areas. I found them annoying, distracting and unnecessary - virtually all other books I have read have been spot on, why was this books proofreading and editing so shoddy? It was an ok read. Would I read another from Phil Kurtausen? Yes, but would stop by page 30-40 if it didn't grab me.
December 16, 2016
Rating 3.5/5
Having recently relocated to Liverpool, Erasmus Jones takes on a job for a law firm looking for Stephen who has disappeared suddenly. What starts out as a seemingly easy task very quickly becomes dangerous and complex, as Erasmus slowly begins to connect the man he is looking for and a series of other deaths and murders. Unsure of whom he can trust and how to find the truth when those involved aren’t being honest with him, he finds himself embroiled in not just finding the missing man but saving the city as well.
I think the first thing to mention about this book is that I really liked the main character Erasmus, he has an underdog charm that I found endearing. I think he is a well-developed character and I thought that the drip-feeding of his back-story as it became relevant to the plot was very effective. I would maybe have liked to see the same development in some of his relationships with the other characters but since this is the first book in a series, I feel they will probably be explored more as the books continue.
The Silent Pool has a lot packed into it, murder, religion, addiction, war, violence and politics. The involvement of the religious movement The Third Wave and how they influence people to gain power and how this subsequently impacted Erasmus’s investigation was very interesting. I don’t think I’ve read a book that has dealt with that kind of subject and it made for very intense reading. There were points that I felt entirely frustrated at how the zealots were always one step ahead and I could feel myself getting angry from reading, which I think shows how absorbing this book is.
I really enjoyed how the elements of the storyline pieced together, the plot is very intricate but I won’t go into too many details because it would spoil the book. The connections between characters, and how the information within the book is revealed has all been very well planned out, and definitely manages to hook you in. Considering there are a lot of different elements to the story, at no point after finishing the book did I feel like there was something unanswered.
I did predict the culprit for who was responsible for Stephen’s disappearance fairly early on. However as this was actually such a small piece of the storyline, the mystery for me was then what lead them to that point, how that affected the rest of the characters and whether The Third Wave would manage to take over the city.
This is a very captivating book and it is very hard to put down once you get started, I would definitely recommend it.
Thank you to the author and Neverland Blog Tours for the review copy of this book.
Originally posted on everywhere and nowhere
Having recently relocated to Liverpool, Erasmus Jones takes on a job for a law firm looking for Stephen who has disappeared suddenly. What starts out as a seemingly easy task very quickly becomes dangerous and complex, as Erasmus slowly begins to connect the man he is looking for and a series of other deaths and murders. Unsure of whom he can trust and how to find the truth when those involved aren’t being honest with him, he finds himself embroiled in not just finding the missing man but saving the city as well.
I think the first thing to mention about this book is that I really liked the main character Erasmus, he has an underdog charm that I found endearing. I think he is a well-developed character and I thought that the drip-feeding of his back-story as it became relevant to the plot was very effective. I would maybe have liked to see the same development in some of his relationships with the other characters but since this is the first book in a series, I feel they will probably be explored more as the books continue.
The Silent Pool has a lot packed into it, murder, religion, addiction, war, violence and politics. The involvement of the religious movement The Third Wave and how they influence people to gain power and how this subsequently impacted Erasmus’s investigation was very interesting. I don’t think I’ve read a book that has dealt with that kind of subject and it made for very intense reading. There were points that I felt entirely frustrated at how the zealots were always one step ahead and I could feel myself getting angry from reading, which I think shows how absorbing this book is.
I really enjoyed how the elements of the storyline pieced together, the plot is very intricate but I won’t go into too many details because it would spoil the book. The connections between characters, and how the information within the book is revealed has all been very well planned out, and definitely manages to hook you in. Considering there are a lot of different elements to the story, at no point after finishing the book did I feel like there was something unanswered.
I did predict the culprit for who was responsible for Stephen’s disappearance fairly early on. However as this was actually such a small piece of the storyline, the mystery for me was then what lead them to that point, how that affected the rest of the characters and whether The Third Wave would manage to take over the city.
This is a very captivating book and it is very hard to put down once you get started, I would definitely recommend it.
Thank you to the author and Neverland Blog Tours for the review copy of this book.
Originally posted on everywhere and nowhere
December 15, 2016
This is a difficult book to review. It has some brilliant plot lines, plenty of tension, varying levels of graphic violence (if you are like me and hate eyes beware!!! Ewwwww!) all of which kept me engrossed. I really liked the main character, Erasmus .. he has been in war zones, returned to Liverpool and is now a PI. The case he is working on takes him in search of a missing man … but there is obviously a lot more involved than he at first anticipates.
Then comes the section involving the Mayor who is intent on keeping the ailing city afloat. There are strikes at the schools and only an injection of healthy funds will get the education system back on track. This however comes at a price when a wealthy former city boy wants to install new software which has a religious aspect. There is a lot of confusion with the various pastor, preacher etc. This brings to light a religious group from years past and a possible connection to the missing man.
This story includes ample villains, a couple of love interests, some dodgy friends, corrupt police and the one person who will keep Erasmus on the straight and narrow his daughter, Amy.
I have never been to Liverpool but the descriptive writing made it easy to imagine how grim it could be in places which suited the scenes. This kept me guessing until the end, there were a couple of moments where I breathed a sigh of relief and thought I had the mystery solved but then it grabs you again and there is another revelation.
So in summary .. the focus on Erasmus and his ‘team’ was fascinating and a gripping yarn but personally the religious/mayor input although necessary blighted it a bit for me. I would love to see another book with Erasmus solving another case as a comparison.
I reviewed this book voluntarily via Netgalley.
Then comes the section involving the Mayor who is intent on keeping the ailing city afloat. There are strikes at the schools and only an injection of healthy funds will get the education system back on track. This however comes at a price when a wealthy former city boy wants to install new software which has a religious aspect. There is a lot of confusion with the various pastor, preacher etc. This brings to light a religious group from years past and a possible connection to the missing man.
This story includes ample villains, a couple of love interests, some dodgy friends, corrupt police and the one person who will keep Erasmus on the straight and narrow his daughter, Amy.
I have never been to Liverpool but the descriptive writing made it easy to imagine how grim it could be in places which suited the scenes. This kept me guessing until the end, there were a couple of moments where I breathed a sigh of relief and thought I had the mystery solved but then it grabs you again and there is another revelation.
So in summary .. the focus on Erasmus and his ‘team’ was fascinating and a gripping yarn but personally the religious/mayor input although necessary blighted it a bit for me. I would love to see another book with Erasmus solving another case as a comparison.
I reviewed this book voluntarily via Netgalley.
June 22, 2014
An intriguing and different, action packed and fast paced thriller. The setting of Liverpool is so well described you feel like you're it in it, and the characters are well developed and believable. The book goes beyond entertainment, asking how far governments are prepared to go and what limits, if any, religious extremists will go to in their attempts to control people. This important issue is wrapped around by a mystery, loaded with delicious plot twists and turns.
Upon Erasmus Jones' return from Afghanistan, he moves to Liverpool to be near his young daughter. Seeking a career in law, he supports himself as a private detective. What Erasmus never expects is for a routine missing persons case to turn into a living nightmare. What is most interesting is the "big brother" subplot, a kind of religious mind control through the installation of Google type search engine software in the city's school system.
Upon Erasmus Jones' return from Afghanistan, he moves to Liverpool to be near his young daughter. Seeking a career in law, he supports himself as a private detective. What Erasmus never expects is for a routine missing persons case to turn into a living nightmare. What is most interesting is the "big brother" subplot, a kind of religious mind control through the installation of Google type search engine software in the city's school system.
December 18, 2016
This is a bit of a difficult book to review for me. There were points in the story when I felt that the pacing was a bit laboured and other times when it fair cantered along. And that meant that I didn't find the story as a whole to be one that I could easily immerse myself in.
That said, it was, at its core, a basically decent plotline. The religious element was interesting and added an extra dimension to the tale, as well as giving several potential bad guys to tilt at.
Erasmus is a bit of a conundrum as a character, as are most of his friends. However I think that the strength of this story is the underlying feeling of increasing helplessness in the face of the influence of Bovind and the Third Wavers.
It's fair to say that there were a few loose ends which for me, weren't dealt with to my complete satisfaction. However, on the whole, it was a reasonable read.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
That said, it was, at its core, a basically decent plotline. The religious element was interesting and added an extra dimension to the tale, as well as giving several potential bad guys to tilt at.
Erasmus is a bit of a conundrum as a character, as are most of his friends. However I think that the strength of this story is the underlying feeling of increasing helplessness in the face of the influence of Bovind and the Third Wavers.
It's fair to say that there were a few loose ends which for me, weren't dealt with to my complete satisfaction. However, on the whole, it was a reasonable read.
I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book.
April 1, 2018
Coming from Widnes which is near Liverpool, it was nice to be able to read a book and recognise the place names etc. I initially wasn't sure if I was going to be able to "get into" the book but after a couple of chapters it had me. I loved the main character (Erasmus) and the whole concept was great - you could actually see it happening. It also kept me guessing on who was committing the murders - I changed my mind a couple of times - still didn't get it! I think this would make a great TV drama. Look forward to reading the next in the series, notice that there are only 2 - hopefully going to write some more? Phil Kurthausen
August 13, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this highly topical and intriguing mixture of political thriller, detective story and slightly alternate (but uncomfortably plausible) reality. The characters are well-observed and three dimensional and there are sub-plots and twists woven throughout the story, leading to a satisfyingly meaty read.
The author's knowledge and love of Liverpool shines through the book and makes the city an important character in its own right, whilst avoiding lazy stereotypes and clichés. I heartily recommend it to readers of the genre and suggest that Phil Kurthausen is one to follow in the future.
The author's knowledge and love of Liverpool shines through the book and makes the city an important character in its own right, whilst avoiding lazy stereotypes and clichés. I heartily recommend it to readers of the genre and suggest that Phil Kurthausen is one to follow in the future.
March 15, 2014
A brilliant piece of fast-moving action. A real page turner which keeps you wanting to know more all the way through. Intelligent and exciting.
A very good read.
A very good read.
May 14, 2015
Liked a lot about this book. However, heroes who carry on regardless despite severe injuries turn me right off. I also knew pretty early on who the killer was
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews