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The Blitz Detective #5
The Dockland Murder
November 1940. Darkness descends and another anxious night begins for those tasked with guarding the industrial heartland of London from enemy attack. As a policeman patrols the Royal Albert Dock, something catches his eye - a man is sprawled awkwardly across a nearby barge, a dagger lodged in his back.
Detective Inspector John Jago of West Ham CID discovers the victim was a dock worker by day and a Home Guard volunteer by night - and there are things even his wife doesn't know about his past. As Jago investigates the murder, As the investigation unfolds, Jago he uncovers a widening circle of secrets ranging across family tensions, the last war and a far-flung corner of the British Empire.
Detective Inspector John Jago of West Ham CID discovers the victim was a dock worker by day and a Home Guard volunteer by night - and there are things even his wife doesn't know about his past. As Jago investigates the murder, As the investigation unfolds, Jago he uncovers a widening circle of secrets ranging across family tensions, the last war and a far-flung corner of the British Empire.
440 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 18, 2021
33 people are currently reading
145 people want to read
About the author
Mike Hollow
20 books55 followersI first got into print when I was eleven. A boys’ comic published a feeble limerick I’d sent them and paid me five shillings, a fat sum at that age. But the postal order was nothing compared with seeing my words in print.
After that I kept writing – teenage poems for a late-1960s “underground magazine”, then grown-up poems, and later a happy mix of copywriting, journalism, editing and translating. All ways of getting paid for playing with words.
My CV? I was born in 1953 in the Essex County Borough of West Ham – home of the Blitz Detective – on the eastern edge of London. I grew up mainly in Romford and went to the Royal Liberty School, then studied Russian and French at Cambridge University.
My first job was translating for the BBC, and I did various jobs there for sixteen years before moving to work in communications for development agency Tearfund, travelling widely in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 2002 I went freelance as a writer, editor and creative project manager. Now I earn a living by translating and spend the rest of my time in the cellar of my house in Hampshire chronicling the adventures of the Blitz Detective.
Why write detective novels? Because I enjoy reading them and I love to create entertaining stories. Why set them in that place and time? Because overnight the Blitz turned everyday existence into a life-and-death struggle for ordinary people – and some of them were my family.
After that I kept writing – teenage poems for a late-1960s “underground magazine”, then grown-up poems, and later a happy mix of copywriting, journalism, editing and translating. All ways of getting paid for playing with words.
My CV? I was born in 1953 in the Essex County Borough of West Ham – home of the Blitz Detective – on the eastern edge of London. I grew up mainly in Romford and went to the Royal Liberty School, then studied Russian and French at Cambridge University.
My first job was translating for the BBC, and I did various jobs there for sixteen years before moving to work in communications for development agency Tearfund, travelling widely in Africa, Asia and Latin America. In 2002 I went freelance as a writer, editor and creative project manager. Now I earn a living by translating and spend the rest of my time in the cellar of my house in Hampshire chronicling the adventures of the Blitz Detective.
Why write detective novels? Because I enjoy reading them and I love to create entertaining stories. Why set them in that place and time? Because overnight the Blitz turned everyday existence into a life-and-death struggle for ordinary people – and some of them were my family.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
April 12, 2021
This is an odd series for me,I find the characters and the setting much more interesting than the mysteries themselves.
November 28, 2022
The best of the series so far.
All the characters in this series of books have come to life. My grandfather and one of my uncle's worked all their lives in the London docks, in the period from the beginning of the last century , up to and during the war and on into the early seventies.
All the characters in this series of books have come to life. My grandfather and one of my uncle's worked all their lives in the London docks, in the period from the beginning of the last century , up to and during the war and on into the early seventies.
December 24, 2021
Final one in the series (so far) and again familiar territory for DI John Jago out of West Ham. A dead Home Guard, smuggling, retribution for the Amritsar massacre of 1919 and thankfully, not too much war reporter Dorothy. Once more Hollow recreates war time London effectively without sugar coating the fabled 'Blitz Spirit' or pretending that everything was terribly exciting. Clearly being bombed night after night was not a great adventure but an absolute bloody nightmare.
Highly recommended series.
Highly recommended series.
February 20, 2023
I like all the historical facts contained within these books and especially this one that concerns London's docklands, however the actual story for me is a a bit on the lame side. I like most of the characters, though I find the Dorothy character a bit of a spare part and don't really see why she's there! I suppose Jago has to have a life outside policing but not sure this is it! I've got one more book in this series to read, yes I've read them out of order but not sure it really matters as they all seem to be set in 1940.
January 22, 2023
The War is grinding on, and Jago and Cradock are now embroiled in a murder on the dockside, which brings them into contact with the world of the docklands, the petty scams and pilfering, which then lead to much wider events in India and beyond.
The story is well told, its a really good series, and Jago makes a sympathetic and interesting character, as his relationship with the American journalist Dorothy is also developing.
The story is well told, its a really good series, and Jago makes a sympathetic and interesting character, as his relationship with the American journalist Dorothy is also developing.
February 19, 2023
Yet again the again , the author has another poor quality book that reflects the mind of someone with dementia, highly repetitious elements. The racism comments are tedious and unnecessary in the amount this bum fodder has. There too much political waffle that’s the f no relevance to the story and very annoying x
December 17, 2023
This series is set in the Blitz in LOndon, various locations, beginning in September 1940.
One of the things that I am enjoying with this series is the wide ranging plots strands and the extra information given to us about characters and their background.
These details add to the feeling of historical authenticity.
Highly recommended.
One of the things that I am enjoying with this series is the wide ranging plots strands and the extra information given to us about characters and their background.
These details add to the feeling of historical authenticity.
Highly recommended.
July 10, 2021
Great read
Perhaps I live in the past a little, which is unavoidable with parents and parents in-law that have lived at fought in WW2 but I find the historical and social elements in this book series of living in the time helps to put things in place.
Perhaps I live in the past a little, which is unavoidable with parents and parents in-law that have lived at fought in WW2 but I find the historical and social elements in this book series of living in the time helps to put things in place.
August 9, 2022
Another excellent story.
A really great read, the story is fast paced, full of facts from a long time ago. The characters really come to life . Another great book.
A really great read, the story is fast paced, full of facts from a long time ago. The characters really come to life . Another great book.
October 29, 2022
3.5 stars
February 16, 2023
Really good read.
April 15, 2023
Initially a little hard work but not a bad read after the first 50 or so pages
July 14, 2023
Well-written procedural mystery set in London’s Docklands in 1940.
Read
November 8, 2023Yet another good read in this series.
January 29, 2024
Enjoyed this one
February 7, 2024
A very middle of the road book. It didn’t make me want to read faster to get to the end. It just sort of jogs along at its own pace, also I got irritated at how many times Craddock mentions being hungry, wanting food and eating it.
February 11, 2024
3.5⭐️ (rounded down) finding this series a bit samey, nothing seems to progress in the personal lives of the characters
July 26, 2024
A new to me detective series. Nicely written, straightforward plotting and engaging characters. A fine sense of place and time. I’ll look out for the others in this series.
March 12, 2025
Light enjoyable read.
August 1, 2022
3,50 stars
December 31, 2024
A month after the murder in Stratford was solved, John Jago is needed again, this time in the Docklands. It is now November 1940, and the story begins with the discovery of a deceased man with a dagger in his back, lying in a barge moored in Albert Dock. This is the fifth book in the "The Blitz Detective" series, and the quality keeps improving. I have come to love the principal characters, John Jago and Detective Constable Peter Craddock, and as the series progresses, I find myself increasingly invested in their futures.
The plots are excellent, but what truly makes these books five-star reads for me is Mike Hollow's ability to bring the world of London during the Blitz to life. He skillfully transports the reader to the bombed streets and destroyed homes, allowing us to meet the people and share in their lives and emotions, creating a deep sense of involvement. The level of research is impressive, revealed through the detailed descriptions provided. Each novel explores different aspects of the war while Jago solves the crime at the center of the story.
In "The Dockland Murder," Hollow introduces a closer look at the Home Guard, as the murdered man is a volunteer at night but works as a dock worker during the day. Furthermore, the novel incorporates broader historical themes related to the British Empire as Jago begins his investigation.
The plots are excellent, but what truly makes these books five-star reads for me is Mike Hollow's ability to bring the world of London during the Blitz to life. He skillfully transports the reader to the bombed streets and destroyed homes, allowing us to meet the people and share in their lives and emotions, creating a deep sense of involvement. The level of research is impressive, revealed through the detailed descriptions provided. Each novel explores different aspects of the war while Jago solves the crime at the center of the story.
In "The Dockland Murder," Hollow introduces a closer look at the Home Guard, as the murdered man is a volunteer at night but works as a dock worker during the day. Furthermore, the novel incorporates broader historical themes related to the British Empire as Jago begins his investigation.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews