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The Clown Service #3
A Few Words for the Dead
Not yet published
Expected 1 Jan 35James Bond meets the X-Files with a healthy dose of Douglas Adams and Stephen King.
The Clown Service is back.
While Section 37 Agent Toby Greene's honeymoon takes an unexpected, and potentially deadly turn, back in London Section Chief August Shining has troubles of his own. Dragged in by his fellow agents from M-16, Shining is forced to relive an old mission from the 80's, and pick up where he left off all those years ago to face an old and deadly foe. As Toby and his new wife Tamar dodge an unstoppable killer across Asia and Europe, August must fight, not just for the future of The Clown Service, but for his very existence. A thrilling blend of espionage thriller, fantasy and sci-fi in the tradition of The Avengers, The X-Files and Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently series.
The Clown Service is back.
While Section 37 Agent Toby Greene's honeymoon takes an unexpected, and potentially deadly turn, back in London Section Chief August Shining has troubles of his own. Dragged in by his fellow agents from M-16, Shining is forced to relive an old mission from the 80's, and pick up where he left off all those years ago to face an old and deadly foe. As Toby and his new wife Tamar dodge an unstoppable killer across Asia and Europe, August must fight, not just for the future of The Clown Service, but for his very existence. A thrilling blend of espionage thriller, fantasy and sci-fi in the tradition of The Avengers, The X-Files and Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently series.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published April 4, 2015
2 people are currently reading
115 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
December 27, 2020
Okay so this now draws to a close the trilogy I never thought I was reading. Okay I guess I should explain that a little better but basically I remember seeing a review or comments about the book the Clown Service and though I would read it (I have a number of Guy Adams books and have enjoyed reading them). Little did I realise that this would lead on to the Rain Soaked Bride and the A Few Words for the Dead.
I guess and here I will try and be careful since I always try and avoid spoilers but the transition from he first in to the second did not feel like true parts of a series - yes further adventures of established characters but a series I do not think so. Then from the second in to the third felt like it was more a larger book that got split up in to smaller more manageable books
So what did I think about this book - it was a fun read and I must admit there are points where it did feel like it relied on tried and tested techniques but every time I managed to avoid becoming a cliche with cutting dialogue or a shift in action.
I think a sign of a good series is that you want to go looking for more - and with this series that was certainly the case although I think for now at least it should be left alone as the book does draw to a definite and satisfying conclusion.
I guess and here I will try and be careful since I always try and avoid spoilers but the transition from he first in to the second did not feel like true parts of a series - yes further adventures of established characters but a series I do not think so. Then from the second in to the third felt like it was more a larger book that got split up in to smaller more manageable books
So what did I think about this book - it was a fun read and I must admit there are points where it did feel like it relied on tried and tested techniques but every time I managed to avoid becoming a cliche with cutting dialogue or a shift in action.
I think a sign of a good series is that you want to go looking for more - and with this series that was certainly the case although I think for now at least it should be left alone as the book does draw to a definite and satisfying conclusion.
August 5, 2019
Crossover urban-fantasy/espionage thriller in which a supernatural entity makes a bargain to possess a sorcerer in Cold War Berlin only to renege on it in modern times. .
This is the third and final book in The Clown Service series. I'm reading this because I liked the previous book in the series The Rain-Soaked Bride (my review).
This was an urban-fantasy/spy thriller that shapes up as a The Spy Who Came in from the Cold like Cold War Berlin espionage story. Young MI6 sorcerer August Shining in Cold War East Berlin makes a bargain with a supernatural entity to save his life while he’s laying mortally wounded. In exchange for his life, he’ll willingly let the non-physical entity possess him, the next time he’s mortally wounded. This is his Deal with the Devil. Decades pass. Shining is very careful and remains very spry. The entity loses its patience, and tries to ensure an earlier possession through murderous extortion. Plot-lines started in The Rain-Soaked Bride are also advanced. Finally, the series is given a soft ending with the potential for a reboot. The writing is British. This story was less humorous and generally darker than the other books in the series. The author achieves atmosphere and moves the story quickly with a screenplay-like style.
My dead-tree copy was a moderate 320-pages. Original UK copyright for the story was 2015. Reading this book without having read the other books in the series is not recommended. The book leverages and ties-up almost all the plots in the last two books.
Guy Adams is a British author who writes in several genres. This is the final book in his Clown Service series. The series was three (3) books.
Prose was good. It had an informal, hip, British style. As in the previous books, dialog was better than the descriptive prose. Action sequences were good. The narrative was noticeably less humorous than the earlier books in the series. August Shining is the main POV for the story, although there are four supporting POVs from established characters in the narration. Supporting POVs were April Shining, both Tamar and Toby Greene and the human antagonist. Shining's narration flashes back and forth between Communist East Berlin and present day London. This was well handled.
There was no sex, or drug abuse in the story. Alcohol was used for self-medication. Violence was physical and firearms. It was moderately graphic. Descriptions of resulting trauma were similarly graphic. Body count was moderate and in-line with a serial killing supernatural murder mystery.
The main character is Shining. He and his sister have always been my favorite series characters. He is the same spymaster, bureaucrat, and sorcerer found throughout the series. In this story he’s revealed to be gay. August’s spinster, pensioner, bureaucrat, likely-intelligence operative sister April contributes significantly to the story. Tamar and Toby Greene (now a married couple) play a peripheral part in the story. There are also several MI6/ MI5 subordinate characters both present and past involved. The main antagonist is a supernatural entity that has been dogging the series from its beginning. I think of it as The Puppeteer although it’s never named. In addition, the human Fairfield antagonist introduced in the previous book makes an appearance. I continue to take issue with magic bad guys in mysteries. Magic usage negates my deep experience with criminal behavior and police procedurals.
The plotting was well done. It owed a lot to John le Carré and Len Deighton's Cold War Berlin novels. Most of the story is August recounting his first encounter with The Puppeteer in Communist East Berlin. Adams leverages fantasy, horror, and espionage tropes in the story. The Puppeteer can Body Surf . The author handles this fairly well. I thought the cleverest bit was turning Shining’s Deal with the Devil on its head. Usually, it’s not the Devil who seeks to cheat on the bargain. The author was merciless in killing-off series' characters. I began to think he wanted to make the series unrecoverable. Series spy tropes continue in the flavor of Len Deighton, although this was more solidly a John le Carré-like story. Intra-service rivalry within the Brit security services, a theme within the series, continued to be well done. I early guessed Fairfield’s complete role in the story. Usually, the author does a better job of plot obfuscation. Pacing was fine throughout. The author is fond of awkward addendums to the story to lay the ground for future books. In this case it was used to end the series. However, there was an option for a return
Action takes place in Metro London and (what I think is) the English county of Berkshire.. There was also very little UK geography infotainment in the story.
This was a moderately entertaining end to this urban-fantasy/espionage thriller series. It continued the light-weight, screen-play structure of the previous books. The author continued with using urban fantasy/horror/spy genre tropes that started the series. The riffs on these tropes were entertaining enough to be interesting. This book was much darker than other books in the series. A lot of very likeable, series characters violently perished. In addition, I wasn’t at all pleased with how Shining left the story. Once I buy into a series, I tend to become more forgiving. This is not a great work, although an Anglophilic, urban fantasy/mystery crossover reader will find it entertaining. I liked the author’s use of the Deal with the Devil. I really disliked The Puppeteer/Devil. It made the book for me. The Greene/Tamar relationship could have been left behind. Frankly, I was sad to see the series end. However, you have to read this, if like me you’ve read the other two books in the series.
Readers interested in Cold War Berlin should try the Funeral in Berlin and The Spy Who Came In from the Cold.
This is the third and final book in The Clown Service series. I'm reading this because I liked the previous book in the series The Rain-Soaked Bride (my review).
This was an urban-fantasy/spy thriller that shapes up as a The Spy Who Came in from the Cold like Cold War Berlin espionage story. Young MI6 sorcerer August Shining in Cold War East Berlin makes a bargain with a supernatural entity to save his life while he’s laying mortally wounded. In exchange for his life, he’ll willingly let the non-physical entity possess him, the next time he’s mortally wounded. This is his Deal with the Devil. Decades pass. Shining is very careful and remains very spry. The entity loses its patience, and tries to ensure an earlier possession through murderous extortion. Plot-lines started in The Rain-Soaked Bride are also advanced. Finally, the series is given a soft ending with the potential for a reboot. The writing is British. This story was less humorous and generally darker than the other books in the series. The author achieves atmosphere and moves the story quickly with a screenplay-like style.
My dead-tree copy was a moderate 320-pages. Original UK copyright for the story was 2015. Reading this book without having read the other books in the series is not recommended. The book leverages and ties-up almost all the plots in the last two books.
Guy Adams is a British author who writes in several genres. This is the final book in his Clown Service series. The series was three (3) books.
Prose was good. It had an informal, hip, British style. As in the previous books, dialog was better than the descriptive prose. Action sequences were good. The narrative was noticeably less humorous than the earlier books in the series. August Shining is the main POV for the story, although there are four supporting POVs from established characters in the narration. Supporting POVs were April Shining, both Tamar and Toby Greene and the human antagonist. Shining's narration flashes back and forth between Communist East Berlin and present day London. This was well handled.
There was no sex, or drug abuse in the story. Alcohol was used for self-medication. Violence was physical and firearms. It was moderately graphic. Descriptions of resulting trauma were similarly graphic. Body count was moderate and in-line with a serial killing supernatural murder mystery.
The main character is Shining. He and his sister have always been my favorite series characters. He is the same spymaster, bureaucrat, and sorcerer found throughout the series. In this story he’s revealed to be gay. August’s spinster, pensioner, bureaucrat, likely-intelligence operative sister April contributes significantly to the story. Tamar and Toby Greene (now a married couple) play a peripheral part in the story. There are also several MI6/ MI5 subordinate characters both present and past involved. The main antagonist is a supernatural entity that has been dogging the series from its beginning. I think of it as The Puppeteer although it’s never named. In addition, the human Fairfield antagonist introduced in the previous book makes an appearance. I continue to take issue with magic bad guys in mysteries. Magic usage negates my deep experience with criminal behavior and police procedurals.
The plotting was well done. It owed a lot to John le Carré and Len Deighton's Cold War Berlin novels. Most of the story is August recounting his first encounter with The Puppeteer in Communist East Berlin. Adams leverages fantasy, horror, and espionage tropes in the story. The Puppeteer can Body Surf . The author handles this fairly well. I thought the cleverest bit was turning Shining’s Deal with the Devil on its head. Usually, it’s not the Devil who seeks to cheat on the bargain. The author was merciless in killing-off series' characters. I began to think he wanted to make the series unrecoverable. Series spy tropes continue in the flavor of Len Deighton, although this was more solidly a John le Carré-like story. Intra-service rivalry within the Brit security services, a theme within the series, continued to be well done. I early guessed Fairfield’s complete role in the story. Usually, the author does a better job of plot obfuscation. Pacing was fine throughout. The author is fond of awkward addendums to the story to lay the ground for future books. In this case it was used to end the series. However, there was an option for a return
Action takes place in Metro London and (what I think is) the English county of Berkshire.. There was also very little UK geography infotainment in the story.
This was a moderately entertaining end to this urban-fantasy/espionage thriller series. It continued the light-weight, screen-play structure of the previous books. The author continued with using urban fantasy/horror/spy genre tropes that started the series. The riffs on these tropes were entertaining enough to be interesting. This book was much darker than other books in the series. A lot of very likeable, series characters violently perished. In addition, I wasn’t at all pleased with how Shining left the story. Once I buy into a series, I tend to become more forgiving. This is not a great work, although an Anglophilic, urban fantasy/mystery crossover reader will find it entertaining. I liked the author’s use of the Deal with the Devil. I really disliked The Puppeteer/Devil. It made the book for me. The Greene/Tamar relationship could have been left behind. Frankly, I was sad to see the series end. However, you have to read this, if like me you’ve read the other two books in the series.
Readers interested in Cold War Berlin should try the Funeral in Berlin and The Spy Who Came In from the Cold.
June 18, 2015
And with this, we presumably come to the end of the trilogy dealing with Section 37. Unlike the first two books, that had their moments of dark humour and gentle romance to lighten the mood, both the threads weaved into this novel are very-very dark. The author has given us a cold-war era spy story, as well as a typically post-modern spy story, both of which converged to produce an ending that's satisfactory in one sense, but deeply unsettling due to the devastation & misery that had been inflicted upon innocent people, before the final moment arrived.
Somebody needs to ask Guy Adams to lighten up his thrillers again. In the meanwhile, if you have read the two previous books, you must read this one as well. Recommended.
Somebody needs to ask Guy Adams to lighten up his thrillers again. In the meanwhile, if you have read the two previous books, you must read this one as well. Recommended.
Read
April 6, 2016Received ARC from Netgalley for honest review.
This is the 2nd book I have read from Guy regarding Section 37. And I thoroughly enjoyed this romp.
Very well written and really quite funny.
I have still to actually read the 1st book , which is not the best, but hopefully all will be ok.
Really enjoyed
This is the 2nd book I have read from Guy regarding Section 37. And I thoroughly enjoyed this romp.
Very well written and really quite funny.
I have still to actually read the 1st book , which is not the best, but hopefully all will be ok.
Really enjoyed
December 5, 2016
Another great tale of The Clown Service, the tiny department within the British secret services which deals with paranormal terrorism. I'd read the first in the series, which saw evil Russians trying to create the ultimate assassin by re-animating the dead. That book introduced the "hero", Toby Greene who was reassigned to "The Department: Section 37" based in London's Wood Green. I'd somehow mislaid book 2 in this trilogy, but this story stands up well on its own. This time, the main character is not Toby, but his wonderfully named boss August Shining, who's described as "an ex-Cambridge, Cold War-era spy". But Shining, like his staff, is no ordinary secret agent. His section deals with unseen hellish forces which threaten Britain and the rest of the World. We discover a lot about Shining's background in "A Few Words for the Dead", particularly an incident involving a seemingly rogue British agent in Berlin who's somehow got himself entangled with an evil spirit which can jump from body to body, controlling people's actions without ever being killed. This malevolent force - with which Shining has had close, personal involvement in the past - now threatens the future of Section 37 and Shining's life. Along the way, author Guy Adams litters the story with gleefully inspired murders, delightful blacker-than-black humour and laugh out loud one-liners. We also have the pleasure of the company of Shining's marvellously down-to-earth but eccentric sister, April. As I've said previously, if you've enjoyed Christopher Fowler's "Bryant & May" novels and Ben Aaronovitch's "Rivers of London" series, you'll be quite at home with The Clown Service books. A highly entertaining read that will make you smile - and I fervently hope Guy Adams will write more stories of The Clown Service.
March 16, 2018
(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)
While Section 37 Agent Toby Greene's honeymoon takes an unexpected, and potentially deadly turn, back in London Section Chief August Shining has troubles of his own. Dragged in by his fellow agents from M-16, Shining is forced to relive an old mission from the 80's, and pick up where he left off all those years ago to face an old and deadly foe. As Toby and his new wife Tamar dodge an unstoppable killer across Asia and Europe, August must fight, not just for the future of The Clown Service, but for his very existence.
*3.5 stars*
This was the third novel in the Clown Service series. I haven't read the first two books of the series, which may have helped, I think, in the overall understanding of this novel.
This was a very clever and enjoyable novel of...well, you name it! It is a fresh mix of Cold War espionage, horror and the paranormal, as well as the thrills and spills you would expect from those genres. It also (apparently) tied up some loose ends from the previous books, which made getting through this story a little more difficult for, not having read them.
The action is exciting, and we are dragged along with August Shining as he is interviewed about something that happened thirty years previously. It is fascinating reading and the author does know his way around an espionage/spy story. Comparisons to Le Carre and Forsyth for this part of the story are perfect - and then the supernatural parts take over and we are in completely different territory!
The other story arcs - Toby and Tamara's story in particular - were lost on me a little as I didn't have the backdrop as to what was happening. I plan to rememdy that when I go back and read the previous two novels. May even have to come back and edit my review, too!
Paul
ARH
While Section 37 Agent Toby Greene's honeymoon takes an unexpected, and potentially deadly turn, back in London Section Chief August Shining has troubles of his own. Dragged in by his fellow agents from M-16, Shining is forced to relive an old mission from the 80's, and pick up where he left off all those years ago to face an old and deadly foe. As Toby and his new wife Tamar dodge an unstoppable killer across Asia and Europe, August must fight, not just for the future of The Clown Service, but for his very existence.
*3.5 stars*
This was the third novel in the Clown Service series. I haven't read the first two books of the series, which may have helped, I think, in the overall understanding of this novel.
This was a very clever and enjoyable novel of...well, you name it! It is a fresh mix of Cold War espionage, horror and the paranormal, as well as the thrills and spills you would expect from those genres. It also (apparently) tied up some loose ends from the previous books, which made getting through this story a little more difficult for, not having read them.
The action is exciting, and we are dragged along with August Shining as he is interviewed about something that happened thirty years previously. It is fascinating reading and the author does know his way around an espionage/spy story. Comparisons to Le Carre and Forsyth for this part of the story are perfect - and then the supernatural parts take over and we are in completely different territory!
The other story arcs - Toby and Tamara's story in particular - were lost on me a little as I didn't have the backdrop as to what was happening. I plan to rememdy that when I go back and read the previous two novels. May even have to come back and edit my review, too!
Paul
ARH
January 13, 2024
Now we come to the end of The Clown Service trilogy.
A Few Words for the Dead differs from the previous two, where the others had their dark moments only to be followed up by something a bit more lighthearted; this book went from dark humor to downright depressing.
I thoroughly enjoyed it (though there were a few parts I had to stop at just to process what had happened); it was an easy page-turner with shorter chapters. A Few Words for the Dead focuses more on August Shining and his past rather than Toby and his future. This book really gives you a better understanding of just how crazy clever Shining can be, and how much his contacts admire him.
I usually enjoy a more realistic ending (in the sense that not everyone lives happily ever after), but I wish Guy Adams would not have crushed so many of my hopes and dreams with just a few short chapters. Still, I highly recommend reading this book, even if you have not been the biggest fan of the previous two. Overall, it was an enjoyable, if not dark and depressing, easy read.
A Few Words for the Dead differs from the previous two, where the others had their dark moments only to be followed up by something a bit more lighthearted; this book went from dark humor to downright depressing.
I thoroughly enjoyed it (though there were a few parts I had to stop at just to process what had happened); it was an easy page-turner with shorter chapters. A Few Words for the Dead focuses more on August Shining and his past rather than Toby and his future. This book really gives you a better understanding of just how crazy clever Shining can be, and how much his contacts admire him.
I usually enjoy a more realistic ending (in the sense that not everyone lives happily ever after), but I wish Guy Adams would not have crushed so many of my hopes and dreams with just a few short chapters. Still, I highly recommend reading this book, even if you have not been the biggest fan of the previous two. Overall, it was an enjoyable, if not dark and depressing, easy read.
January 22, 2021
I enjoy Guy Adams' original novels, particularly The Clown Service books. Mr. Adams has authored several TV and movie tie-in books, which I haven't read. Don't care for that type of book, they feel stilted and derivative. However, the Clown Series novels are fascinating and imaginative. This one in particular created an extremely interesting premise, and focused more on August Shining, head of Bureau 37, rather than on Toby, as the first couple of books did. Toby came to Bureau 37 as a PTSD-affected survivor, and his story arc lead to an almost complete recovery even as he investigated the weird and strange per his boss/mentor, August Shining's, instructions. Having this book focus on August, with Toby and his wife, Tamar, as the peripheral characters, was wonderful. Loved learning about August's past, and how the threads tied together in the present and into the future. Great fun to read.
December 28, 2020
The fact that like 70% of what apparently is the conclusion to a trilogy is told to us in a series of flashbacks, irks me to no end. Flashbacks are fine, but I don't want the majority of a book to take place there. It takes me right out of the story instead of drawing me in.
Then there's the fact that with getting "hints" of there being an unknown party steering the events in the background, very obviously setting up the book for a clever ending, even if we can't necessarily see what that ending is going to be.
Combine these two facts and you get a book where arguably 90% of if doesn't really matter. And then we get to the epilouge where we get to see what actually happened.
I am disappoint.
Then there's the fact that with getting "hints" of there being an unknown party steering the events in the background, very obviously setting up the book for a clever ending, even if we can't necessarily see what that ending is going to be.
Combine these two facts and you get a book where arguably 90% of if doesn't really matter. And then we get to the epilouge where we get to see what actually happened.
I am disappoint.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 19, 2025
We start exactly where The Rain Soaked Bride left off, with Toby and his bride on their honeymoon, two weeks in Portugal. This Portugal has a revolution going on and they are in a jungle full of gunfire. A jungle?
Well, we have to get rid of the curse, don't we? And we have to get rid of some problems in the Service, including what is happening in that isolated house in the English countryside and figure out what April is up to, and what is actually motivating August Shining. And what about Bill Fratfield?
In other words, more of the same insane, weird goings on in otherwise quiet spots on the earth.
Well, we have to get rid of the curse, don't we? And we have to get rid of some problems in the Service, including what is happening in that isolated house in the English countryside and figure out what April is up to, and what is actually motivating August Shining. And what about Bill Fratfield?
In other words, more of the same insane, weird goings on in otherwise quiet spots on the earth.
October 17, 2017
Would have been a 4.5 if it wasn't for the last chapter. The last chapter gave it that cheesy Hollywood take which I don't like, and it felt very rushed. Other than that horrible last chapter though, it was pretty damn good, somewhat of a page turner, and the short chapters made me say "just one more" which hasn't happened to me in some time. I liked the timeline aspect, and I liked that Guy Adams wasn't afraid to kill off characters (ignoring that last shitty chapter).
August 20, 2018
Still an interesting story, but lacking almost all the fun of the earlier two. Toby, August, and April, who were the source of most of the fun banter, are all separated for most of the book, taking that element out. The book took what felt like an unnecessarily bloody, violent, and above all dour turn.
November 7, 2018
A very good book. And if it's the last of the Clown Service books, a great to end a trilogy.
December 2, 2018
Love! No bad thing can be said about this book, other than this finished so quickly! What a closure!
February 6, 2019
I did not understand the ending, I ought reread it, but decided I did not care enough....
November 16, 2019
3.5 Stars
Full review to come!
Full review to come!
April 15, 2020
A nice wrap up to the trilogy.
December 3, 2020
Back on form
March 13, 2017
I don't know. Guy Adams writing is still as entertaining as ever. This book also has a different structure than the first two, which makes sense upon completion of the story. But the brutality is what holds me back. To have a truly horrifying villain, I guess you have to have truly horrifying consequences. And the writing makes those actions all the more visceral. But Chapter 25 in particular was hard to stomach.
May 23, 2015
originally posted at: http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2015...
I am a big Guy Adams fan. With his The Clown Service series, he has shown a different side of him. Writing a different genre, supernatural thriller, top secret spy stories. Which all kicked of two books ago in The Clown Service, and continuing in The Rain-Soaked Bride. Even with already having delivered two solid book, don't worry as A Few Words for the Dead continues Guy Adams' winning streak, another thoroughly entertaining and creepy story.
The events in A Few Words for the Dead pick up not soon after the events of The Rain-Soaked Bride. Toby Greene who was inaugurated in the first book to Section 37 is currently enjoying a honeymoon with Tamar, however this is far from your standard honeymoon. As the creator of the Rain-Soaked Bride as many more surprises in store. Things are still not fully settled after the events in the second book. After this introduction with Toby and Tamar the focus is shifted this time around more fully on August Shining. August is being called back to explain a mission that took place the 1980's in Germany to his higher-ups, of course all with a reason. The telling of August and this mission splits the story into two timelines, the current (one we see actually only briefly) and the past, where August spends his most time. This mission took place in the 80's in Germany, August was on a mission to capture a deadly opponent. Now that I am typing this short synopsis I only come to realize that it doesn't come close to do justice to the story. It might follow these few big lines, but Guy Adams writes the story with sure deftness, involving a lot of different factors and creating a more than wonderful atmosphere surrounding this story.
Guy Adams has taken the story of The Clown Service to a lot of different venues. Really laying the focus on the current state and making Toby a star of the series. Toby and his fiance Tamar still play an important role but as this time around the focus is more on August Shining and this was for me a big plus was for me a big plus, it added much more diversity to the story and it gave a much better grip on the character of August, we have only seen him as an "completed" character as the focus was on Toby and his inauguration in Section 37. With putting the focus on August, though with a backstory, gave much more personality to him. The other characters like April, Tamar and Toby all take a bit of a step back but still have their influence in the story, through the brief glimpses, Guy Adams does manage to produce a well rounded story.
One thing that keeps amazing me is the terrific sense that Guy Adams manages to tell in his stories. The Clown Series is a supernatural spy thriller and especially in this volume there is a lot of show and not tell, allowing the reader to connect the dots. The naming of a possible adversary as just "Assassin" and the thing that happens to April in the book, it did make me reread several chapter but it catches you out of the blue and sticks with you for a long long time. It with these elusive mentions and heavy plot twists that makes Guy Adams books so irritable and a whole lot of fun to read.
A Few Words for the Dead is for me the best Clown Service book to date. The direction that Guy Adams is going with his book is defintely the right one. If you read the first two books in the series you will appreciate what Guy Adams has done in this book, with a the knowledge that I gathered with the first two books it all starts to come together. Well only partly because Guy Adams readily tranforms the promise with the ending of A Few Words for the Dead. It can go any which way from this point on. If you like good characters, a cool setting and some amazing idea's you should read this book. Frankly if you haven't been reading Guy Adams. Shame on you. This is brilliant stuff!
I am a big Guy Adams fan. With his The Clown Service series, he has shown a different side of him. Writing a different genre, supernatural thriller, top secret spy stories. Which all kicked of two books ago in The Clown Service, and continuing in The Rain-Soaked Bride. Even with already having delivered two solid book, don't worry as A Few Words for the Dead continues Guy Adams' winning streak, another thoroughly entertaining and creepy story.
The events in A Few Words for the Dead pick up not soon after the events of The Rain-Soaked Bride. Toby Greene who was inaugurated in the first book to Section 37 is currently enjoying a honeymoon with Tamar, however this is far from your standard honeymoon. As the creator of the Rain-Soaked Bride as many more surprises in store. Things are still not fully settled after the events in the second book. After this introduction with Toby and Tamar the focus is shifted this time around more fully on August Shining. August is being called back to explain a mission that took place the 1980's in Germany to his higher-ups, of course all with a reason. The telling of August and this mission splits the story into two timelines, the current (one we see actually only briefly) and the past, where August spends his most time. This mission took place in the 80's in Germany, August was on a mission to capture a deadly opponent. Now that I am typing this short synopsis I only come to realize that it doesn't come close to do justice to the story. It might follow these few big lines, but Guy Adams writes the story with sure deftness, involving a lot of different factors and creating a more than wonderful atmosphere surrounding this story.
Guy Adams has taken the story of The Clown Service to a lot of different venues. Really laying the focus on the current state and making Toby a star of the series. Toby and his fiance Tamar still play an important role but as this time around the focus is more on August Shining and this was for me a big plus was for me a big plus, it added much more diversity to the story and it gave a much better grip on the character of August, we have only seen him as an "completed" character as the focus was on Toby and his inauguration in Section 37. With putting the focus on August, though with a backstory, gave much more personality to him. The other characters like April, Tamar and Toby all take a bit of a step back but still have their influence in the story, through the brief glimpses, Guy Adams does manage to produce a well rounded story.
One thing that keeps amazing me is the terrific sense that Guy Adams manages to tell in his stories. The Clown Series is a supernatural spy thriller and especially in this volume there is a lot of show and not tell, allowing the reader to connect the dots. The naming of a possible adversary as just "Assassin" and the thing that happens to April in the book, it did make me reread several chapter but it catches you out of the blue and sticks with you for a long long time. It with these elusive mentions and heavy plot twists that makes Guy Adams books so irritable and a whole lot of fun to read.
A Few Words for the Dead is for me the best Clown Service book to date. The direction that Guy Adams is going with his book is defintely the right one. If you read the first two books in the series you will appreciate what Guy Adams has done in this book, with a the knowledge that I gathered with the first two books it all starts to come together. Well only partly because Guy Adams readily tranforms the promise with the ending of A Few Words for the Dead. It can go any which way from this point on. If you like good characters, a cool setting and some amazing idea's you should read this book. Frankly if you haven't been reading Guy Adams. Shame on you. This is brilliant stuff!
April 21, 2015
Warning - this review contains spoilers (and some speculation about the writing you may prefer not to see before you read the book).
This is the third volume in Guy Adams' Clown Service series, based on the activities of a branch of the British security services dealing with arcane and supernatural threats to the realm.
Like the first book, The Clown Service, the book turns on the past of August Shining, head of Section 37 - indeed for most of the story he's being debriefed on events that too place in Berlin 30 years before. Meanwhile, Toby Greene and his new wife Tamar are on honeymoon. They have dealt with the Rain Soaked Bride, featured in the second book, but its creator has raised a new demon to destroy them.
Into this gap comes an old enemy of August's. Long ago he promised it something, and now it wants to collect...
I found it really difficult to sum this book up. At one level it is, I think, the most successful of the Clown Service novels - bringing together an atmospheric trip back to the Berlin of Le Carre and Deighton with a chilling dash of the occult, and wrapping up a number of loose threads from the previous two books (could this be the last of the series, or at least mark a pause?) The story is tight, the action scarcely lets up and you could easily devour it in one session of reading.
However, there is a problem which I wasn't able to get round (this is where the spoilers come in). About half way through the book, the antagonist goes on a killing spree, scything through those August knows and relies on. It's a calculated act of revenge and provocation that makes sense within the terms of the plot. But. But. As part of this a woman is bludgeoned to death in a fridge. I stopped here and debated with myself whether Adams intended an overt reference to "fridging" (killing sympathetic characters to give the hero motivation for revenge). I'm pretty sure he did, but either way, it bounced me out of the story. You may not have heard of this particular trope and it may not trouble you - or may not have before I laboured over the point - if so, I apologise.
Thinking this over afterwards I wonder, though, if there isn't a deeper problem here. The book is very polished and the plot done very nicely (see if you spot how things are going to work out - I didn't!) with distinct echoes of classic British horror alongside the spy stuff. But without that killing spree it would essentially come down to Shining telling his old story, and then... and then, what happens after. I sense that the other thread is there, as much as anything, simply to provide another thread to the story with that fridge stuff simply Adams' way of saying "I know what this looks like". Really not sure what to think about that (and 3 star marking reflects this: I may be being over harsh).
To set against that, there are some really well written, creepy parts - for example, the puppet theatre: I'd challenge anyone to read that without a glance over the shoulder and a shiver. So, for me, successful but also not successful.
This is the third volume in Guy Adams' Clown Service series, based on the activities of a branch of the British security services dealing with arcane and supernatural threats to the realm.
Like the first book, The Clown Service, the book turns on the past of August Shining, head of Section 37 - indeed for most of the story he's being debriefed on events that too place in Berlin 30 years before. Meanwhile, Toby Greene and his new wife Tamar are on honeymoon. They have dealt with the Rain Soaked Bride, featured in the second book, but its creator has raised a new demon to destroy them.
Into this gap comes an old enemy of August's. Long ago he promised it something, and now it wants to collect...
I found it really difficult to sum this book up. At one level it is, I think, the most successful of the Clown Service novels - bringing together an atmospheric trip back to the Berlin of Le Carre and Deighton with a chilling dash of the occult, and wrapping up a number of loose threads from the previous two books (could this be the last of the series, or at least mark a pause?) The story is tight, the action scarcely lets up and you could easily devour it in one session of reading.
However, there is a problem which I wasn't able to get round (this is where the spoilers come in). About half way through the book, the antagonist goes on a killing spree, scything through those August knows and relies on. It's a calculated act of revenge and provocation that makes sense within the terms of the plot. But. But. As part of this a woman is bludgeoned to death in a fridge. I stopped here and debated with myself whether Adams intended an overt reference to "fridging" (killing sympathetic characters to give the hero motivation for revenge). I'm pretty sure he did, but either way, it bounced me out of the story. You may not have heard of this particular trope and it may not trouble you - or may not have before I laboured over the point - if so, I apologise.
Thinking this over afterwards I wonder, though, if there isn't a deeper problem here. The book is very polished and the plot done very nicely (see if you spot how things are going to work out - I didn't!) with distinct echoes of classic British horror alongside the spy stuff. But without that killing spree it would essentially come down to Shining telling his old story, and then... and then, what happens after. I sense that the other thread is there, as much as anything, simply to provide another thread to the story with that fridge stuff simply Adams' way of saying "I know what this looks like". Really not sure what to think about that (and 3 star marking reflects this: I may be being over harsh).
To set against that, there are some really well written, creepy parts - for example, the puppet theatre: I'd challenge anyone to read that without a glance over the shoulder and a shiver. So, for me, successful but also not successful.
June 15, 2015
“Battle had fallen into the ex-military trap of short sentence. If I didn’t break him out of it, I feared he’d never savour the joys of a comma again.”
One of the most enjoyable novels I read in 2014 was The Clown Service by Guy Adams. A fantasy spy novel of sorts. It was witty, well paced and cleverly plotted and on finishing it I hoped it was opening the door to a series of books.
Then came, The Rain-Soaked Bride at the start of the year and my hopes were realised. And now hot on the heels of that book comes A Few Words for Dead.
Once again we are transported into the world of “Section 37″, the unmentionable section of the British secret service – the section tasked at explaining the unexplainable and otherworldly. Back is our reluctant hero Toby, as his new wife Tamara, and of course the head of the department, August Shinning.
If The Clown Service was Toby’s book, and The Rain-Soaked Bride a more communal affair, A Few Words for the Dead definitely belongs to Shining.
Whilst Toby and Tamara are still battling with Fratfield, and a wind demon in Mexico, Shining is taken in for questioning by Section 12, who suspect he may have been a security risk. They want to know all he can tell them about an ex agent, Lucas Robie – a man who could quite literally charm the pants off you. The bulk of the book is taken up by Shining’s interrogation and his telling of how he came to know Robie 30 years ago and how that resulted in a fatal incident. Separately, an assassin has been hired and dispatched to kill Shining, which allows for the here and now plot line to co-exist with the historical cold-war Robie story. What seems to connect them both is a powerful entity that wants to be flesh and blood and is prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve its goal.
Some readers of the first two books may be disappointed that there is very minimal plot contact between Toby and August in this outing, but personally I loved a whole story given over the acerbic wit and intelligence of August Shining.
“He walked past the reception desk, smiling at the guard stationed there, a bored-looking man working his way through a crossword. He used a pen, you can always spot a show-off”
Shining’s cold war tale is fantastically exciting and entertaining. He is a natural raconteur. In truth at times, the return to the here and now is a bit of a distraction. You just want more time with him in Berlin. He is the kind of brilliant creation that other great Adams, Douglas would have been proud of.
I raced through this book, and as was the case with the previous two, I doubt I’ll read many more entertaining this year. Books to put a smile on your face, a spring in your step, and to restore your faith in smart comedic writing.
I’m already looking forward to my next helping of Section 37.
One of the most enjoyable novels I read in 2014 was The Clown Service by Guy Adams. A fantasy spy novel of sorts. It was witty, well paced and cleverly plotted and on finishing it I hoped it was opening the door to a series of books.
Then came, The Rain-Soaked Bride at the start of the year and my hopes were realised. And now hot on the heels of that book comes A Few Words for Dead.
Once again we are transported into the world of “Section 37″, the unmentionable section of the British secret service – the section tasked at explaining the unexplainable and otherworldly. Back is our reluctant hero Toby, as his new wife Tamara, and of course the head of the department, August Shinning.
If The Clown Service was Toby’s book, and The Rain-Soaked Bride a more communal affair, A Few Words for the Dead definitely belongs to Shining.
Whilst Toby and Tamara are still battling with Fratfield, and a wind demon in Mexico, Shining is taken in for questioning by Section 12, who suspect he may have been a security risk. They want to know all he can tell them about an ex agent, Lucas Robie – a man who could quite literally charm the pants off you. The bulk of the book is taken up by Shining’s interrogation and his telling of how he came to know Robie 30 years ago and how that resulted in a fatal incident. Separately, an assassin has been hired and dispatched to kill Shining, which allows for the here and now plot line to co-exist with the historical cold-war Robie story. What seems to connect them both is a powerful entity that wants to be flesh and blood and is prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve its goal.
Some readers of the first two books may be disappointed that there is very minimal plot contact between Toby and August in this outing, but personally I loved a whole story given over the acerbic wit and intelligence of August Shining.
“He walked past the reception desk, smiling at the guard stationed there, a bored-looking man working his way through a crossword. He used a pen, you can always spot a show-off”
Shining’s cold war tale is fantastically exciting and entertaining. He is a natural raconteur. In truth at times, the return to the here and now is a bit of a distraction. You just want more time with him in Berlin. He is the kind of brilliant creation that other great Adams, Douglas would have been proud of.
I raced through this book, and as was the case with the previous two, I doubt I’ll read many more entertaining this year. Books to put a smile on your face, a spring in your step, and to restore your faith in smart comedic writing.
I’m already looking forward to my next helping of Section 37.
January 3, 2020
Solid. Not as inventive as the previous ones, but a good third book.
May 21, 2015
“The Rain Soaked Bride” left us on a bit of a cliff-hanger and this picks up where it leaves off. Clown Service operative is on the run in Europe with his own bride and in the UK August Shining is in real trouble with a mysterious assassin and the Intelligence Community both after him. Quite a bit of Cold War backstory here where we learn about Shining and his handling of an agent with unique powers. The past eventually catches up with the present and many story threads come together.
I did enjoy this, it was clever and helped fill in a lot of background to the characters. This is more a Shining story then a Toby story, but it shows why Shining has the reputation that he does and puts the Clown Service into perspective. This does not go soft on some of the more unpleasant stuff and no character is safe from some of the repercussions.
I did enjoy this, it was clever and helped fill in a lot of background to the characters. This is more a Shining story then a Toby story, but it shows why Shining has the reputation that he does and puts the Clown Service into perspective. This does not go soft on some of the more unpleasant stuff and no character is safe from some of the repercussions.
August 13, 2015
Less derivative than the previous book in the series, The Rain-Soaked Bride, this is disappointing in many other ways, primarily in terms of plot rather than choice of antagonist. It is a better focused and a better written book though. This is primarily a tale about Shining rather than Toby Greene, presented in flashbacks as a taut Cold War thriller that veers into the horror of the series. Unfortunately, in bringing these horror elements into the present day, the author over does it, cutting an unnecessary, bloody swathe through the series' supporting cast, many of which were the highlight from The Clown Service.
April 24, 2017
I love this series!! I never want it to end. I did miss seeing Toby and August together a little in this one but I also really enjoyed seeing what they could do without each other. I've become really attached to all the characters. April will amuse me forever. Role on whatever comes next from Guy Adams!
June 21, 2018
Brilliant! Great ending to a fantastic series. I had enjoyed Adams Heavens Gate Trilogy, but the last book staggered to the end. This trilogy was excellent start to finish.
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