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Proteus
Gerrards Cross is a pleasant, suburban town on the borders of London situated in the heart of leafy Buckinghamshire. A commuter town, it is repeatedly voted one of the best places in England to live. It also boasts more millionaires than any other town.
This domestic bliss is about to be blown apart by acts of sheer savagery and violence as the residents of this outwardly perfect community are stalked by a deadly assassin who kills for a living and is very good at it. As the death toll rises the police find themselves increasingly baffled.
Who is responsible? Who is paying?
Their main suspect is Michael Defreitas but how can he have done it? He is dead!
Proteus is the powerful story of the aftermath of a huge financial scandal. Michael Defreitas ran a seemingly successful fund that attracted investments by offering high returns but the fund is a fraud, a Ponzi scheme that has some very murky investors who want their money back.
When the headless body of Defreitas is found on the common in Gerrards Cross, Old Etonian DCI Tom Sparks is the detective put in charge of unraveling the complicated case that takes him from the upper echelons of society in Gerrards Cross to the City, the financial heart of London, and even the Costa Del Sol.
Full of twists and turns the story is not resolved until the final page. Gerrards Cross will never be the same again!
This domestic bliss is about to be blown apart by acts of sheer savagery and violence as the residents of this outwardly perfect community are stalked by a deadly assassin who kills for a living and is very good at it. As the death toll rises the police find themselves increasingly baffled.
Who is responsible? Who is paying?
Their main suspect is Michael Defreitas but how can he have done it? He is dead!
Proteus is the powerful story of the aftermath of a huge financial scandal. Michael Defreitas ran a seemingly successful fund that attracted investments by offering high returns but the fund is a fraud, a Ponzi scheme that has some very murky investors who want their money back.
When the headless body of Defreitas is found on the common in Gerrards Cross, Old Etonian DCI Tom Sparks is the detective put in charge of unraveling the complicated case that takes him from the upper echelons of society in Gerrards Cross to the City, the financial heart of London, and even the Costa Del Sol.
Full of twists and turns the story is not resolved until the final page. Gerrards Cross will never be the same again!
375 pages, Paperback
First published April 2, 2014
1 person is currently reading
108 people want to read
About the author
Simon Hawkins
2 books1 followerI started writing when I became seriously ill with cancer. It was strange really, I had never written anything in my life until then but suddenly I was flowing with creative juices. It was almost as if imminent, potential death had released something within me. I like my books to be fun and easy to read and reviews of my first book 'Proteus' have confirmed this. Big text, short chapters etc etc. The biggest difficulty for me becoming a novelist was having the courage to actually release my book into the wild. Once done there has been no stopping me and there are two books in the pipeline which will be realised in 2015.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
January 12, 2015
Frankly, I thought this was going to be rubbish. First time author, book suspiciously cheap, rather in-your-face cover but I thought I'd give it a go. Winter flu, wrapped up in bed with a hot water bottle gave me the opportunity to get stuck in. I'd give it six chapters, I thought. If it was boring my by then, I'd move onto something else. Well, two chapters in and I was hooked. Lots of mysteries, lots of dead bodies with the hint that there was more to come. The plot had more twists than an Alpine road – some you could see coming, some taking you unawares. There are also a few excellent one-liners and a couple of diversions along the way. I thought I'd guessed the ending and then the author launched a googly a couple of chapters out before coming to a second ending - which I had worked out. And a few loose ends were left – just enough to hang a new storyline on. Most gratifying. I suspect we'll see more of DCI Tom Sparks in future. Hope so. Worth the cost of admission. Great fun. Excellent escapism.
March 18, 2015
Gerrards Cross is a pleasant, suburban town on the borders of London situated in the heart of leafy Buckinghamshire. A commuter town, it is repeatedly voted one of the best places in England to live. It also boasts more millionaires than any other town.
This domestic bliss is about to be blown apart by acts of sheer savagery and violence as the residents of this outwardly perfect community are stalked by a deadly assassin who kills for a living and is very good at it. As the death toll rises the police find themselves increasingly baffled.
What a brilliant book - full of twists and turns and goes at a fast pace - an excellent book.
This domestic bliss is about to be blown apart by acts of sheer savagery and violence as the residents of this outwardly perfect community are stalked by a deadly assassin who kills for a living and is very good at it. As the death toll rises the police find themselves increasingly baffled.
What a brilliant book - full of twists and turns and goes at a fast pace - an excellent book.
January 19, 2015
I love this book. Yes I know the author very well (I am his wife) but even if I had never met Simon I would have adored it. Full of twists and turns and fun. Short chapters and large text make it very readable and very difficult to put down. If you are going read any book this year, please give it a go.
January 12, 2015
Fantastic read. Could not put it down....a real page turner, with a twist...it is a must
January 12, 2015
An enthralling read from a talented author! Managed to keep me gripped throughout with an easy and laid back style of writing
August 30, 2015
A brilliant read i didn't want to put it down , hoping to read more of your books . LESLEY ATKIN
August 29, 2019
Don't judge the book by its cover. Good solid detective story. Many, many twists and turns in the storyline yet the author keeps it real. Beautiful women, corrupt financiers, tough coppers. And a fair few gruesome endings.Great stuff. I loved it. Highly recommended. Bravo, Simon. I'm looking forward to the next exciting episode.
June 11, 2016
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this book and felt that Tom the lead detective was believable. I did not feel the same about some of the other characters who veered into caricature at times. I also felt that there could have been better use of some of them.The story carried me along and although at times the descriptive nature of some passages (such as describing what a hedge fund was) irritated, the story held my interest and I wanted to know how the various threads were going to unfold.There were also one or two passages and phrases that were little gems- I love the idea of a brain-drizzle! There were one or two proofreading or editing glitches in my copy, which always frustrates me and upsets the rhythm of reading. Overall I would definitely give this author another go.
I enjoyed this book and felt that Tom the lead detective was believable. I did not feel the same about some of the other characters who veered into caricature at times. I also felt that there could have been better use of some of them.The story carried me along and although at times the descriptive nature of some passages (such as describing what a hedge fund was) irritated, the story held my interest and I wanted to know how the various threads were going to unfold.There were also one or two passages and phrases that were little gems- I love the idea of a brain-drizzle! There were one or two proofreading or editing glitches in my copy, which always frustrates me and upsets the rhythm of reading. Overall I would definitely give this author another go.
March 11, 2015
I got this book through the good reads first read scheme and was looking forward to trying this book. I enjoyed far more than I expected to and found it gripping and a easy read. It has quite a loose style to it but this adds to the books style and pace. It isn't quite as tight and complete as some other thrillers/crime books but I think this will improve as the author develops his writing style, and having read an extract of his next book, I would definitely read more from him
There was twists and turns which left you guessing, and the characters were believable. One warning though you may never be able to look at or eat on in bhajis ever Again!!!
There was twists and turns which left you guessing, and the characters were believable. One warning though you may never be able to look at or eat on in bhajis ever Again!!!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews