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Enora Andresson #2
Sight Unseen
Actress Enora Andresson is dragged into the UK’s exploding drugs scene when her son’s girlfriend is kidnapped.
Malo is in trouble again. Enora Andressen’s wayward son has received a ransom demand for the return of his girlfriend, the daughter of a wealthy Colombian business tycoon. But how far can a mother trust her son? And where does Clemmie’s disappearance fit in the murderous world of cocaine dealing?
With the help of Hayden Prentice, Malo’s natural father and himself a one-time drug baron, Enora embarks on a hunt for the truth behind the kidnapping. The journey takes her deep into the exploding world of county lines, the new business model that delivers Class A drugs into every corner of the kingdom.
Drug dealing is the new normal. The sums of money at stake are dizzying and a human life counts for nothing. As Enora Andressen is about to discover . . .
Malo is in trouble again. Enora Andressen’s wayward son has received a ransom demand for the return of his girlfriend, the daughter of a wealthy Colombian business tycoon. But how far can a mother trust her son? And where does Clemmie’s disappearance fit in the murderous world of cocaine dealing?
With the help of Hayden Prentice, Malo’s natural father and himself a one-time drug baron, Enora embarks on a hunt for the truth behind the kidnapping. The journey takes her deep into the exploding world of county lines, the new business model that delivers Class A drugs into every corner of the kingdom.
Drug dealing is the new normal. The sums of money at stake are dizzying and a human life counts for nothing. As Enora Andressen is about to discover . . .
288 pages, Paperback
Published May 5, 2020
6 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Graham Hurley
71 books152 followersGraham Hurley was born November, 1946 in Clacton-on-Sea, Essex. His seaside childhood was punctuated by football, swimming, afternoons on the dodgems, run-ins with the police, multiple raids on the local library - plus near-total immersion in English post-war movies.
Directed and produced documentaries for ITV through two decades, winning a number of national and international awards. Launched a writing career on the back of a six-part drama commission for ITV: "Rules of Engagement". Left TV and became full time writer in 1991.
Authored nine stand-alone thrillers plus "Airshow", a fly-on-the-wall novel-length piece of reportage, before accepting Orion invitation to become a crime writer. Drew gleefully on home-town Portsmouth (“Pompey”) as the basis for an on-going series featuring D/I Joe Faraday and D/C Paul Winter.
Contributed five years of personal columns to the Portsmouth News, penned a number of plays and dramatic monologues for local production (including the city’s millenium celebration, "Willoughby and Son"), then decamped to Devon for a more considered take on Pompey low-life.
The Faraday series came to an end after 12 books. Healthy sales at home and abroad, plus mega-successful French TV adaptations, tempted Orion to commission a spin-off series, set in the West Country, featuring D/S Jimmy Suttle.
Launch title - "Western Approaches" - published 2012. "Touching Distance" to hit the bookstores next month (21st November).
Has recently self-published a number of titles on Kindle including "Strictly No Flowers" (a dark take on crime fiction), "Estuary" (a deeply personal memoir) and "Backstory" (how and why he came to write the Faraday series).
Married to the delectable Lin. Three grown-up sons (Tom, Jack and Woody). Plus corking grandson Dylan.
You're very welcome to contact Graham through his website: www.grahamhurley.co.uk
Or direct on seasidepictures@btinternet.com.
Series:
* D.I. Joe Faraday
Directed and produced documentaries for ITV through two decades, winning a number of national and international awards. Launched a writing career on the back of a six-part drama commission for ITV: "Rules of Engagement". Left TV and became full time writer in 1991.
Authored nine stand-alone thrillers plus "Airshow", a fly-on-the-wall novel-length piece of reportage, before accepting Orion invitation to become a crime writer. Drew gleefully on home-town Portsmouth (“Pompey”) as the basis for an on-going series featuring D/I Joe Faraday and D/C Paul Winter.
Contributed five years of personal columns to the Portsmouth News, penned a number of plays and dramatic monologues for local production (including the city’s millenium celebration, "Willoughby and Son"), then decamped to Devon for a more considered take on Pompey low-life.
The Faraday series came to an end after 12 books. Healthy sales at home and abroad, plus mega-successful French TV adaptations, tempted Orion to commission a spin-off series, set in the West Country, featuring D/S Jimmy Suttle.
Launch title - "Western Approaches" - published 2012. "Touching Distance" to hit the bookstores next month (21st November).
Has recently self-published a number of titles on Kindle including "Strictly No Flowers" (a dark take on crime fiction), "Estuary" (a deeply personal memoir) and "Backstory" (how and why he came to write the Faraday series).
Married to the delectable Lin. Three grown-up sons (Tom, Jack and Woody). Plus corking grandson Dylan.
You're very welcome to contact Graham through his website: www.grahamhurley.co.uk
Or direct on seasidepictures@btinternet.com.
Series:
* D.I. Joe Faraday
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 14, 2020
A kidnapping ends with drug dealers from two generations in a battle for power.
Clemenza, the daughter of a wealthy Columbian drug dealer, is kidnapped. Her boyfriend Malo, the son of actress Enora Andersson and a one night stand with a drug dealer, now ‘clean’ millionaire businessman Hayden Prentice, is definitely lying about the circumstances.
Enora has just recovered from brain cancer surgery and is the go-to person in the plot of this novel. Her scriptwriter and new boyfriend Pavel is a very intuitive recently blind man. However, I believe the character of Pavel creates an unnecessary side-show in the novel. I say that with reservation, though because in real life when one thing often happens a whole lot of other chaos goes down at the same time. As in this novel, crises are not neatly put into a box.
Enora is separated from her Swedish husband Bernt, who thought Malo was his son. But Malo seems to have his father’s genes, and it emerges that his life is not so clean or honest. Malo and his girlfriend, Clemmie, are young and in an intense relationship. Her father flies in from Bogota to deal with the kidnappers who demanded $1 million in a few days. Her father’s involvement in the kidnapping is an interesting ‘side-show’ to the plot.
H (Hayden) wants to handle the kidnappers in his way, which is clever, brash and rude and extremely violent. However, H is convinced that Malo is involved because he (H) understands the drug trade and teenagers who are involved in it. Each character deals with the kidnapping almost independently of each other because each one thinks they know best.
A circuitous route to the unexpected conclusion balances out unusual characters and events in this novel.
BonnieK
Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.
Clemenza, the daughter of a wealthy Columbian drug dealer, is kidnapped. Her boyfriend Malo, the son of actress Enora Andersson and a one night stand with a drug dealer, now ‘clean’ millionaire businessman Hayden Prentice, is definitely lying about the circumstances.
Enora has just recovered from brain cancer surgery and is the go-to person in the plot of this novel. Her scriptwriter and new boyfriend Pavel is a very intuitive recently blind man. However, I believe the character of Pavel creates an unnecessary side-show in the novel. I say that with reservation, though because in real life when one thing often happens a whole lot of other chaos goes down at the same time. As in this novel, crises are not neatly put into a box.
Enora is separated from her Swedish husband Bernt, who thought Malo was his son. But Malo seems to have his father’s genes, and it emerges that his life is not so clean or honest. Malo and his girlfriend, Clemmie, are young and in an intense relationship. Her father flies in from Bogota to deal with the kidnappers who demanded $1 million in a few days. Her father’s involvement in the kidnapping is an interesting ‘side-show’ to the plot.
H (Hayden) wants to handle the kidnappers in his way, which is clever, brash and rude and extremely violent. However, H is convinced that Malo is involved because he (H) understands the drug trade and teenagers who are involved in it. Each character deals with the kidnapping almost independently of each other because each one thinks they know best.
A circuitous route to the unexpected conclusion balances out unusual characters and events in this novel.
BonnieK
Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review.
October 7, 2019
Not my cup of tea.
I couldn't connect to the characters and the book didn't keep my attention even if it's well written.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
I couldn't connect to the characters and the book didn't keep my attention even if it's well written.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.
August 31, 2023
After the second book of Enoras exploits I have had enough. Totally unbelievable plot. That anyone in their right mind would be enchanted by ‘H’ enough to want him as a father to a son is bad enough but to then have a son willing to trade off his girlfriend for a bit of ransom money and them all to come bouncing back into the happy home after being wined and dined and receive little more than a “bad boy”scolding is a world I don’t want to waste time on.
To add insult to it all, the attempt at spicing the story up at the end with an offer of a threesome was the final coffin nail.
A shame as enjoyed previous works but this doesn’t do it for me at all.
To add insult to it all, the attempt at spicing the story up at the end with an offer of a threesome was the final coffin nail.
A shame as enjoyed previous works but this doesn’t do it for me at all.
December 2, 2021
A good read and I whizzed through it but was left feeling a little bit let down by the conclusion. Still love Faraday and Winter, and Jimmy Suttle - liked the nod to Bazza in Sight Unseen!
March 2, 2023
Another good noir like British thiller and continued from Graham Hurley.
October 6, 2019
Enora Andresson is a distinguished English actress. Perhaps slightly past her youthful allure, she remains a beauty who can pick and choose her projects, and her films are highly thought of. She has three problems clouding her horizon. The first is, as they say, a bastard. She has a brain tumour. It has been treated but she is only too aware that she may have won a battle, but not the war. Problems two and three are related – literally. She is separated from her Swedish husband, but they have a son – a young man called Malo – who is something of a wrong ‘un. The third problem relates to the words “they have a son”. Fact is, she does – her husband doesn’t. Malo’s father is actually a millionaire businessman named Hayden Prentice, and Malo was conceived during a drunken one-nighter just before Enora’s wedding. So why is Harold a problem? Although he is now an honest man, with legitimate investments and business interests, he made his initial fortune as a drug baron.
Although Enora and Prentice (known hereafter as ‘H’) are now reunited after a fashion, the relationship does not extend to the bedroom, and Enora’s current interest is Pavel, an enigmatic scrptwriter. Pavel’s Easterm European allure is rather manufactured, however, as his real name is the more prosaic Paul. What he says about the art of story-telling, however, could equally apply to Graham Hurley’s own magic wand:
“The best stories detach you from real life. You float away down the river of fiction, lie back and enjoy he view. The storyteller’s challenge is to cast a spell, and the longer that spell lasts, the better.”
The main plot of Sight Unseen hinges around the kidnapping of Malo’s Colombian girlfriend Clemmie. When a ransom demand of a million dollars is received her father, who, like many rich men from that benighted republic, has kidnap insurance, simply hands the case over to the experts. H, however, has other ideas, and decides to do things his way.
Hayden Prentice is a brilliant creation and is, in many ways, at the centre of the book, as he was when we first met Enora in Curtain Call. Formerly known as Saucy from his initials, he is hewn from the same rich vein of villainy that produced the elemental force that was Bazza McKenzie in Graham Hurley’s brilliant Joe Faraday novels. H is blunt, foul-mouthed but very, very shrewd. Hurley will not be at all perturbed were readers to visualise H rather like the formidable Harold Shand, as portrayed unforgettably by the great Bob Hoskins in The Long Good Friday.
As the ransom deadline passes, with the customary video as proof-of-life, and a hiking up of the cash demand, H is increasingly convinced that Malo is, somehow more involved in the affair than simply being the anxious boyfriend. The insidious and infamous County Lines drug trade raises its ugly head, and H delivers a brief but brilliantly incisive summary of the endgame he sees engulfing the England he once knew:
“You think your own little town is safe? You think those sweet kids of yours won’t ever get in trouble with drugs? Wrong. And you know why? Because something we all took for granted has gone. Families? Mums? Dads? A propr job? Getting up in the morning? Totally bolloxed. No-one has a clue who they are any more, or where they belong, and there isn’t a single politician in the country who can tell them what to do about it.”
H has a country mansion, Flixcombe, not far from the Dorset town of Bridport. Despite its artisan bakeries, galleries and twee delis there is a grim underbelly which involves, inevitably, drugs. A local tells Enora that the main players are little more than children:
“Nothing frightens these little bastards …. streetwise doesn’t begin to cover it. They think theyre immortal. Remember that.”
The finale is astonishing - a bravura affair which only a fine writer like Graham Hurley could hope to get away with. No spoilers, but it involves a doomed English explorer and an old ballad which once inspired Bob Dylan. Sight Unseen is published by Severn Houe and is out now.
Although Enora and Prentice (known hereafter as ‘H’) are now reunited after a fashion, the relationship does not extend to the bedroom, and Enora’s current interest is Pavel, an enigmatic scrptwriter. Pavel’s Easterm European allure is rather manufactured, however, as his real name is the more prosaic Paul. What he says about the art of story-telling, however, could equally apply to Graham Hurley’s own magic wand:
“The best stories detach you from real life. You float away down the river of fiction, lie back and enjoy he view. The storyteller’s challenge is to cast a spell, and the longer that spell lasts, the better.”
The main plot of Sight Unseen hinges around the kidnapping of Malo’s Colombian girlfriend Clemmie. When a ransom demand of a million dollars is received her father, who, like many rich men from that benighted republic, has kidnap insurance, simply hands the case over to the experts. H, however, has other ideas, and decides to do things his way.
Hayden Prentice is a brilliant creation and is, in many ways, at the centre of the book, as he was when we first met Enora in Curtain Call. Formerly known as Saucy from his initials, he is hewn from the same rich vein of villainy that produced the elemental force that was Bazza McKenzie in Graham Hurley’s brilliant Joe Faraday novels. H is blunt, foul-mouthed but very, very shrewd. Hurley will not be at all perturbed were readers to visualise H rather like the formidable Harold Shand, as portrayed unforgettably by the great Bob Hoskins in The Long Good Friday.
As the ransom deadline passes, with the customary video as proof-of-life, and a hiking up of the cash demand, H is increasingly convinced that Malo is, somehow more involved in the affair than simply being the anxious boyfriend. The insidious and infamous County Lines drug trade raises its ugly head, and H delivers a brief but brilliantly incisive summary of the endgame he sees engulfing the England he once knew:
“You think your own little town is safe? You think those sweet kids of yours won’t ever get in trouble with drugs? Wrong. And you know why? Because something we all took for granted has gone. Families? Mums? Dads? A propr job? Getting up in the morning? Totally bolloxed. No-one has a clue who they are any more, or where they belong, and there isn’t a single politician in the country who can tell them what to do about it.”
H has a country mansion, Flixcombe, not far from the Dorset town of Bridport. Despite its artisan bakeries, galleries and twee delis there is a grim underbelly which involves, inevitably, drugs. A local tells Enora that the main players are little more than children:
“Nothing frightens these little bastards …. streetwise doesn’t begin to cover it. They think theyre immortal. Remember that.”
The finale is astonishing - a bravura affair which only a fine writer like Graham Hurley could hope to get away with. No spoilers, but it involves a doomed English explorer and an old ballad which once inspired Bob Dylan. Sight Unseen is published by Severn Houe and is out now.
October 14, 2019
Blooming heck, there's a lot going on in this book! Kidnap, drugs, county lines, accidents and incidents, secrets lies and duplicitous behaviour, a smattering of romance, and quite a bit of violent shenanigans. And it isn't a long book by any means. But it all just works! It probably helps if you've read the first in series as the relationships between the main players in this book is a tad complex to say the least!
So, in this book, Malo's girlfriend Clemmie has been kidnapped. He received a message and photo on his phone demanding a ransom and warning against involving the Police. So, he goes to his mother, Enora, for help. She ropes in Malo's father Hayden Prentice - HP or Saucy - and, with further assistance from some of his "contacts" they pit their wits and resources to try and get Clemmie back. Things don't quite go according to plan though, but I'll leave you to discover the rest as the author intends.
I said in my review for Curtain Call, the first in this series, that this author is one of my favourites. I loved his Faraday and Winter series, set in my own home town of Portsmouth, or Pompey as he still refers to it throughout this book. So I am probably a bit biased about my feelings for anything else he has written. This book, along with its predecessor, is peppered throughout with links to Portsmouth and also features and mentions some of the characters from the Faraday series which I found a nice nod to loyal readers but nothing that would irk a newbie to this author.
Yes there were things that didn't quite make perfect sense, some things that didn't quite sit right along the way, and the occasional thing that was just a little bonkers. But, and it's a big but here, putting the whole together rather than isolating and critiquing each element, these things paled into the insignificant for me.
There is probably so much more I can say, specifically regarding pot & kettle nature of certain characters and the storyline as it develops but to say much more would inject spoilers into my review and that's not the done thing. Suffice to say that I really loved this book and am very much looking forward to the next instalment. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
So, in this book, Malo's girlfriend Clemmie has been kidnapped. He received a message and photo on his phone demanding a ransom and warning against involving the Police. So, he goes to his mother, Enora, for help. She ropes in Malo's father Hayden Prentice - HP or Saucy - and, with further assistance from some of his "contacts" they pit their wits and resources to try and get Clemmie back. Things don't quite go according to plan though, but I'll leave you to discover the rest as the author intends.
I said in my review for Curtain Call, the first in this series, that this author is one of my favourites. I loved his Faraday and Winter series, set in my own home town of Portsmouth, or Pompey as he still refers to it throughout this book. So I am probably a bit biased about my feelings for anything else he has written. This book, along with its predecessor, is peppered throughout with links to Portsmouth and also features and mentions some of the characters from the Faraday series which I found a nice nod to loyal readers but nothing that would irk a newbie to this author.
Yes there were things that didn't quite make perfect sense, some things that didn't quite sit right along the way, and the occasional thing that was just a little bonkers. But, and it's a big but here, putting the whole together rather than isolating and critiquing each element, these things paled into the insignificant for me.
There is probably so much more I can say, specifically regarding pot & kettle nature of certain characters and the storyline as it develops but to say much more would inject spoilers into my review and that's not the done thing. Suffice to say that I really loved this book and am very much looking forward to the next instalment. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.
August 25, 2019
I really enjoyed Curtain Call the first book by this author to introduce Enora Andressen so was keen to start reading this one.
In this the second, wayward son Malo who appeared to be straightening himself out at the end of the previous book seems to have gone off the rails again, this time though girlfriend Clemmie is involved and the stakes are higher.
I found it easy to get into this one having recently read the previous book and being familiar with most of the characters. A new man on the scene in Enora's life is Pavel, a blind movie scriptwriter. Admirer/friend/very close friend, the character of Pavel never really took shape for me and although the storyline moved along at a good pace it didn't really grip me in the same way that Curtain Call did.
Whilst I've no doubt this could be read as a standalone novel as events from the previous are recapped where necessary, I'd recommend reading Curtain Call first.
In this the second, wayward son Malo who appeared to be straightening himself out at the end of the previous book seems to have gone off the rails again, this time though girlfriend Clemmie is involved and the stakes are higher.
I found it easy to get into this one having recently read the previous book and being familiar with most of the characters. A new man on the scene in Enora's life is Pavel, a blind movie scriptwriter. Admirer/friend/very close friend, the character of Pavel never really took shape for me and although the storyline moved along at a good pace it didn't really grip me in the same way that Curtain Call did.
Whilst I've no doubt this could be read as a standalone novel as events from the previous are recapped where necessary, I'd recommend reading Curtain Call first.
July 14, 2019
Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This is the second book in the (possible?) series featuring fading actress and brain tumor survivor Enora Andressen. I adored the first book and was really looking forward to the follow-up. Unfortunately it didn't, for me, even come close to the excellent first outing. It was almost as if it was written by someone else. It was about the kidnapping of her son Malo's girlfriend by a drugs gang and trying to get her returned. The drug crisis features heavily (quite depressing) as well as Enora's relationship with a blind screenwriter. I found that relationship incomprehensible and the fact that the seeing eye dog is last heard of tied to something was upsetting. Malo, to my mind, needs a good slapping and the end was a bit out there. Very disappointing.
This is the second book in the (possible?) series featuring fading actress and brain tumor survivor Enora Andressen. I adored the first book and was really looking forward to the follow-up. Unfortunately it didn't, for me, even come close to the excellent first outing. It was almost as if it was written by someone else. It was about the kidnapping of her son Malo's girlfriend by a drugs gang and trying to get her returned. The drug crisis features heavily (quite depressing) as well as Enora's relationship with a blind screenwriter. I found that relationship incomprehensible and the fact that the seeing eye dog is last heard of tied to something was upsetting. Malo, to my mind, needs a good slapping and the end was a bit out there. Very disappointing.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews