Sure and Certain Death

Francis Hancock #4

by Barbara Nadel

The fourth installment in a chilling World War II crime mystery series featuring undertaker Francis Hancock, by the author of the Inspector Ikmen Mysteries  In East London, 1940, Francis Hancock finds the brutally eviscerated body of a woman in a derelict house. Francis' sister, Nancy, knew the victim. Then, shockingly, two more murders follow. Rumors start to spread through the East End about a modern day Jack the Ripper. When a fourth woman is murdered, Nancy admits that she knew all of the victims, and Francis sets out to find the killer, discovering a trail of murderous resentment that goes back decades.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Audiobook, World War II

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

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

[Sue Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how much I enjoy Barbara Nadel's writing. Her words flow so smoothly and her characters are so wonderfully gentle and full.

I don't know why I picked this particular book up - I was in a rush and needed something to fill the void and the author niggled something in the back of my brain, but couldn't for the life of me tell what that was other than she was familiar - and I'm ever so glad that I did. Barbara Nadel tells a story like no one else.

A murder mystery set during the height of WW II in bomb ravaged London that sees older women being killed and eviscerated in most gruesome ways, all with no apparent connection other than their age until a 30 year old common connection is revealed. (Now that was a mouthful!). I discovered - and not unpleasantly, mind - that this was the fourth book of a series that has followed the life of the main character Francis Hankcock. Wonderfully I had no idea and the book was no less in quality and depth despite the fact of it either. One of my biggest pet peeves of 'series' books is that feeling like you're missing an element or something important about the whole book because you started at a middle book of a character's adventures - like that feeling you get when you walk into a room and have missed the first part of a conversation and then never feel like you're in on the entire story afterwards. Ever. Really, a story should just be a story despite the fact that one has been written with that character before. So it was delightful to be introduced to a character in the fourth book of a series and not feel that I was missing anything.

I loved these characters. Even the villain is awesome. It was an intense time, living was not easy in the face of the Nazi bombings, making simple daily pleasantries harder won. I especially liked how the author brings the feelings and the awareness of what it was like to be in that time. It somehow makes the story all the more believable and underscores the importance of those common courtesies of the day that are lacking these days.

All in all, a well told story and a series worth pursuing.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bettie's Books

[Sinan Cetin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mediocre plot, typical and superficial supporting characters... Only thing that is good about this book is its tenacity to keep history at the center

[Cherryl Osewe · Rating 3 out of 5]

the narration is a bit too on the nose

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read most of the Inspector Ikmen series ( set in Turkey) and now two of the Francis Hancock series. Barbara Nadel is fantastic at describing setting and nailing down a place and date.

This book, like the other Francis Hancock mysteries, is set in London during the Blitz of WWII. The carnage and destruction of the bombings are a way of life to the populace. But even in a time like this, greed, passion, and revenge can lead to murders. Most men are in the service, and what remains of the domestic police force is stretched very, very thin. So they can use some help.

Francis is the son of an English father and and Indian mother and a WWI veteran. The bombings bring back terrible memories. Francis carries on his deceased father's mortuary business. He lives with his mother and sister.

I learned as much or more about the Blitz from these books as from history books. The most fascinating thing I learned was about Anderson shelters. If you want to be amazed, look it up!

[Leena Korsumäki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pidin tästä huomattavasti enemmän kuin aiemmin lukemastani Francis Hancock-kirjasta, joka sijoittui vsin yhteen yöhön St. Paulin katedraaliin.

Tämä saa minulta korkean arvosanan, vaikka kyse on sarjamurhaajatarinasta, joista en yleensä ole kauhean innostunut. Motiivi on rakennettu hyvin.

[HarryTheHat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flavoursome period, unique characters and well written but the graphic violence was too much for me, delicate flower that I am. Gave up after about three chapters. But if you're up for it, go right ahead. It seems a good book.

[Baz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not riveting but I quite enjoyed it.

[Melanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good narrator.
Set in WW2 our hero is an anglo-indian WW1 veteran, mentally scarred by his time in the trenchs. Middle-aged women are being sadistically murdered - they were all white feather girls in the Great War.

[Laura Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Every single aspect of this story --from the very gruesome murders to the characters' personal lives-- was sordid and relentlessly depressing. I find it hard to be engaged with the characters when there is not even the slightest glimmer of hope.

[Luce Cronin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good read. At first I had problems with the author's style of writing, but then it seemed to flow. A good story that leaves you with something to think about - that we ignore other people's feelings at our own peril.

[Ann Tonks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. The potential of an ango-indian family immersed in a mystery in London during World War II was strong but I ended up not trusting the writing. And ultimately I didn't believe the actions of the murderer.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting look into the Anglo-Indian world of England during WWII. Plot was excellent (some gore, lite profanity, no sex) and cast was believable, if not always engaging. Will read others in series. Well read by Martin Reed. Recommended.

[Gwendalyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm so tired of reading white authors writing about characters of color and making them more or less white in every aspect except their skin color. The whole book was slow and I couldnt wade through all the supposed "issues" about race that didn't feel real. Didn't finish it.

[Tina]

A beautifully written book with amazingly thrilling mystery. What else could one possibly ask for.

[Sarah Hearn · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent mystery allied to an empathetic description of a man suffering from what we now call PTSD, but what was called "shell shock" after World War I.