Web of Lies

Hakim and Arnold #8

by Barbara Nadel

In the shadow of St Paul's, Arnold and Hakim are drawn into an investigation involving an old man and a newborn baby.



London, December 2019. Two young boys, Habib and Loz, are trying their luck at selling knock-off pain remedies to pensioners. But they are troubled by an encounter with a potential elderly customer and a young man with a blood-smeared face.

Mumtaz Hakim wants to help if she and her partner Lee Arnold can. While they set about uncovering the truth, they find themselves drawn into a gruesome investigation involving an old man and a newborn baby.

Genres: Audiobook, Mystery, Crime

317 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2022

About the author

Barbara Nadel is an English crime-writer. Many of her books are set in Turkey. Born in the East End of London, Barbara Nadel trained as an actress before becoming a writer. Now writing full-time, she has previously worked as a public relations officer for the National Schizophrenia Fellowship's Good Companion Service and as a mental health advocate for the mentally disordered in a psychiatric hospital. She has also worked with sexually abused teenagers and taught psychology in schools and colleges, and is currently the patron of a charity that cares for those in emotional and mental distress. She has been a regular visitor to Turkey for more than twenty-five years.

Reviews

[Anna Quilter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5


Interesting Crime Mystery set in London around 2019/2020.
The main protagonists are a mixed race couple/private investigators.

The story itself has shades of religion, nationalism
As well as a kind of impression how the UK stood at that time.

A central horrific crime...with quite a few threads coming together to solve it.

I enjoyed the setting ,especially as I spent my younger days raised in East London..lots of familiar place names thrown around.

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Barbara Nadel writes a London based mystery set in the shadows of St Paul's Cathedral, that takes in the city's past, its history and politics and blends it with currently troubling contemporary realities, such as the culture wars stoked by politicians and the growth of extremist right wing elements. It is December 2019 and 2 boys, Habin Farooki and Lawrence 'Loz' Williams, are peddling a 'medical' cream in the Square Mile, when at a house with a blue door, next to The Hobgoblin pub, they encounter a boy with blood on his face that worries them, but they cannot go to the police with their fears. Instead they tell Mumtaz Hakim, a private investigator at The Arnold Agency run by ex-police officer, Lee Arnold, with whom she is in relationship. Lee is not keen on following up, but gives way to a determined Mumtaz.

Then a murdered baby is discovered at St Paul's, with a odd set of stab wounds that look to be in the shape of pentagram that concern long serving DS Colin Wilkinson into bringing in Jewish deliverance Father Feldman. In a complicated narrative with several threads, there are a wide range of diverse characters, the bored and heavily pregnant Danielle, living with Henry, a partner at Blizzard Solicitors, black Constable Jordan Whittington, living with his grandfather, Bert, who becomes involved with the police investigation run by DI Scott Brown, and a Loz who is being bullied by Kym Franks, the daughter of a cage fighter, who claims he is responsible for her being pregnant, and that he had better provide her with a phone, demanding money he doesn't have for a abortion. Lee begins to panic when Mumtaz goes missing, there is nothing he won't do to try and find her.

Nadel paints an atmospheric picture of London and its fascinating past and semi-mythical folklore, particularly through the likes of characters, Father Feldman and Wilko, drawing on chilling links between the past and present. There is the existence of a network of cramped and claustrophobic tunnels below the city that not many are aware of, reeking of sewage in this gripping story of hate, the occult, ghosts, sacrifice and the terrifying plans of extremists that culminate in a nail biting finale. A brilliant read that draws on many of the nightmares of our contemporary world, the racism, our divisions and Brexit, and the alarming rise of the far right. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

[Deb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read any of the "Turkish Detective" novels, but I thought that an author whose work has been taken up by the BBC would at least be competent. I was very disappointed to find that it is not the case here. The plot is confused and confusing, the writing extremely clumsy in places (particularly the constant misuse of "may" where "might" would be the correct usage), the characters are dull and mostly not likeable, and consequently not easy to tell apart. Occasionally the author remembers that Wilko is supposed to have had a lower level of education than some of his colleagues and throws a few grammatical errors into his dialogue to try to differentiate him. The action hops around from place to place and person to person in a way that is presumably intentional but hardly helpful to the reader. Worst of all, it's one of those books where the author is pushing a message - "Racism is bad" - and doing so in the most blatant manner. There's no subtlety at all about this book and the long-drawn-out ending made the last 20-30 pages very tedious. I had to force myself to finish it.

[Iain Mccartney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sorry, not a book that held my interest enough.
Having read some of the authors previous books, I decided to give this one a go, but sadly it wasn’t for me.

[Lena Akerblom]

To boring by half. Quit after listening 1,5 hours

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Allison & Busby for an advance copy of Web of Lies, the eighth novel to feature PIs Lee Arnold and Mumtaz Hakim, set in the City of London.

Two teenagers approach Mumtaz with a problem. They were in the City selling counterfeit pain cream when one door is opened by a boy smeared with blood. Mumtaz wants to help pro bono and starts to investigate, but then things get weird.

I quite enjoyed Web of Lies, which spins a strange tale of mysticism and violence, but it takes a bit of getting used to. I found it difficult in the first half of the novel to get engrossed in the story as it has a kind of haphazard feel to it, but the second half is much more interesting and exciting as this is where the story takes shape and the action ramps up.

The novel is told from various points of view that change without warning, giving the read a choppy feel. As for those points of view, two of the characters seem to be steeped in, I don’t want to say the occult, but perhaps the arcane where they can sense evil, have an encyclopaedic knowledge of old London and a fascination for a rumoured network of tunnels under the City. Yes, it’s interesting but the extrapolation left me very cold. Meanwhile, Mumtaz is floating about the City trying to come up with a lead, while Lee is trying to earn a crust.

This is a difficult novel to review on subject matter as so much is not said in the synopsis. All I can say is that it takes a very current issue and pushes it forward to what might be regarded as a logical conclusion. It’s fantastical, but not beyond the realms of possibility, given the conspiratorial bent of the internet these days and the gullibility of some of its denizens.

Web of Lies could do with some tightening up in the first half, but otherwise is an interesting read.

[Chris Chanona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written thriller set in the City of London. It involves recurring characters Mumtaz Hakim and Lee Arnold who work as Private Investigators. It is book 8 in the series but you don’t have to have read the others. I hadn’t and there was enough about the characters to satisfy the new reader.
Mumtaz takes on a freebie on behalf of a pair of teenage boys and this leads into the story that unfolds. She gets into a situation that is both fantastic and which reflects some current concerns.

There is quite a cast of characters and it was difficult to keep hold of who was who at some points. Also a lot of fortuitous coincidences. The pace was steady and this was an easy enjoyable read. I did find that it went from a scene with one set of characters to a different scene and different set of characters without warning, repeatedly, and this, on kindle, was annoying. Hopefully, this will be sorted with appropriate gaps and paragraphing in the published version as I read a proof copy provided by Netgalley and the publishers.

I have already bought the first in the series so I can start from the beginning with these characters. I recommend this book.

[Anne Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've read a lot of Barbara Nadel's books that are set in Istanbul and star Turkish detective Cetim Ikmen. I was aware she'd written another series, set in London, but had never read any of them. So when I came across 'Web of Lies' in the library I had to pick it up. It's actually the 8th in the series, but it didn't seem to be a problem that I'd not read the earlier ones. In this series, known as the 'Hakim and Arnold' books, there are two private detectives who work together. One is a white, older male and the other a younger, hijab-wearing, Muslim woman - an unlikely pair. The story takes place in the vicinity of St Paul's and weaves in a lot of history and politics as well as mythology. I always enjoy reading books that help me to get to know bits of London better and this one didn't disappoint.

[Beachcomber · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars rounded down. At first this seemed good, but the slightly bonkers plot of BNP members Worthing ancient King Lud in tunnels under London was just a bit too wacky for me. I think I also struggled because in the ARC version I had, there were no line spacers between scenes - so you’d start reading a paragraph and then realise the action had changed location or person.

Maybe this was just a duff one in the series, so I will give another book a go to be sure.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Apologies for the delay in providing this.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Barbara Nadel's mysteries and I love this series. This was a good addition even if it's a favorite as i struggled a bit to be involved.
There's a lot going on, a lot more than the blur say and Ms Nadel develops another interesting and entertaining mystery.
I'm happy to catch up with the characters and the solid mystery kept me hooked.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is far-fetched stuff but I am a fan of this series about a small private detective agency in London and I have read all the eight books published so far. Mumtaz gets involved in investigating a mystery told to her by two teenage boys even though there is no prospect of payment. The story then turns into a thriller involving secret tunnels and white supremacists. It's implausible but go with the flow and it's a good read. I do hope that the author will continue this series.

[Tessa Buckley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara Nadel is one of my favourite authors, and this series about an unlikely pair of private detectives never lets me down. This story is set largely in a secret world of ancient tunnels hidden underneath the City of London, which makes a creepy setting for some scary scenes involving arcane rituals. Lots of short scenes helps the story to zip along, and I was really sorry to reach the end. More of the same, please.

[Lily Head · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another belter!

A slow build up to a great finish. As always , Barbara Nadel delivers.
I can’t wait until the next one..

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of a try hard cake recipe for the 2020s - start with dry ingredients of extremism/racism/antisemitism, stir in some ritualism and abuse, and ice with romance and a Covid epilogue.

[Deborah Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story that taps deeply into the anxieties of our time.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook

I enjoyed the historical aspects of the book, not so much the political aspect although it was important for context. Part of the story though seemed rather unbelievable

[Michelle Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complicated story that takes place in the East end of London. A statement of fact not a cry from ‘Foreigners’. Much pain and excitement who would have thought that the ‘Mile’ was that full of left over from centuries. Now I’m curious.

[Chris Chanona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written thriller set in the City of London. It involves recurring characters Mumtaz Hakim and Lee Arnold who work as Private Investigators. It is book 8 in the series but you don’t have to have read the others. I hadn’t and there was enough about the characters to satisfy the new reader.
Mumtaz takes on a freebie on behalf of a pair of teenage boys and this leads into the story that unfolds. She gets into a situation that is both fantastic and which reflects some current concerns.

There is quite a cast of characters and it was difficult to keep hold of who was who at some points. Also a lot of fortuitous coincidences. The pace was steady and this was an easy enjoyable read. I did find that it went from a scene with one set of characters to a different scene and different set of characters without warning, repeatedly, and this, on kindle, was annoying. Hopefully, this will be sorted with appropriate gaps and paragraphing in the published version as I read a proof copy provided by Netgalley and the publishers.